Chiefs GM: Mahomes Way Ahead of Schedule in Knee Rehab, Will Need to Be Held Back

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes will join team workouts when training camp begins in St. Joseph, Missouri. General manager Brett Veach said Mahomes is way ahead of schedule in his rehabilitation from surgery to repair a torn ACL and LCL suffered last December.

Veach told Sirius NFL Radio this week that the Chiefs may need to hold Mahomes back from doing too much right away. Mahomes started rehab one day after his mid-December surgery and has kept at it nonstop. He works in the team facility every day, even though he has won everything and could hire private trainers or go anywhere.

When Mahomes takes weekends off with family in his hometown of Dallas, he brings a Chiefs trainer along. Veach called the effort inspiring. He recalled Mahomes' response to a dislocated knee in 2019, when the quarterback worked hard and returned in three weeks.

"I will say this, I think it wouldn’t surprise you guys, the way it’s been really inspiring to just see," Veach said. "I mean, in my mind, I’ve been there before with Pat. He had that dislocated knee [in 2019] and worked his tail off, and came back in three weeks. And I knew this bump in the road wouldn't slow him down at all."

"But, I mean, this guy has been in the building — especially for, like, a player who has accomplished everything, can do anything he wants, he can hire his own trainers, he can be wherever he wants. He’s in our building every single day. And even when he goes away for a few days, say to Dallas for a weekend with his family, he takes one of our trainers with him," Veach added.

Veach noted that other NFL players sometimes take trainers home during the season to prepare for upcoming games. But Mahomes' routine stands out because it has lasted months after major knee surgery and involves travel to another state.

"Needless to say, he’s way ahead of schedule," Veach said. "I think the biggest challenge we’re going to have is protecting him against himself, because I’m sure when we get to St. Joe for training camp, he’s going to want to be full go. But we’re going to have to hold him back a little. And, again, I don’t want to put a timetable on it. But I think you guys know the kind of person and competitor Pat is, and I would just say, we’re in a really good place right now."

President Trump recently asked Kansas City barbecue restaurant owners about Mahomes' return. Many want to know if the quarterback will be ready for training camp and the regular-season opener.