'Whatever It Takes,' Patrick Mahomes' Return from Injury Detailed Before Chiefs' Opener vs. Broncos

Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes had one clear mission statement as he worked his way back from a torn ACL and LCL.

According to ESPN's Nate Taylor , that was the message Mahomes relayed to Dr. Dan Cooper, the Dallas Cowboys head team physician, after Cooper told him he needed to be in Dallas the next day for surgery.

"Throughout his rehab and recovery, Mahomes has said that same sentence many different times," Taylor wrote. "And his exhaustive, day-after-day actions have led to him achieving his mission — one that began next to the MRI machine 274 days ago."

The six-time Pro Bowler went down in a loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Dec. 14. He had knee surgery on Dec. 15.

"The toughest part was the beginning, not being able to get up and chase my kids around," Mahomes told Taylor of the overall process. "I remember sitting at the [training] table and watching us play those last few [road] games and how much it hurt me."

Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce relayed to The Athletic's Jesse Newell how Mahomes "flipped a switch from the moment he had that surgery."

"He had a goal in mind to be able to be here Week 1 with us. And he's here," Kelce said.

Head coach Andy Reid echoed a similar sentiment, telling Newell that "there was no hesitation" when Mahomes set a goal of playing in Week 1.

"There were no days off," Reid said. "He kept stacking the days. Some days you don't want to go in there. You're not feeling it. But he kept showing up."

Mahomes was already a leader inside the Kansas City locker room. His recovery provided another way for him to set the tone internally.

"The level of sacrifice is something that has been an example throughout the entire organization," general manager Brett Veach said.

According to Taylor, Mahomes started rehabbing daily at the Chiefs' facility in January and would often spend seven-plus hours there. He worked with assistant athletic trainer Julie Frymyer to assess his recovery by two-week increments, and they relayed his results to Cooper.

Taylor provided the details behind a March video posted by Mahomes, which started to get fans seriously excited about the idea he'd suit up in Week 1.

The veteran quarterback and personal trainer Bobby Stroupe threw a baseball back and forth, which was a "spontaneous moment" because some baseball players were working out at the same location. Later on, Stroupe tossed a football to Mahomes and used Mahomes' phone to record a short clip of the QB going through his usual motions on a throw.

While Mahomes clearly wasn't going at full speed, the video was an encouraging sign of how much his knee had healed.

During his long road back, the two-time NFL MVP got help from an unexpected source.

Veteran tight end Zach Ertz told Newell last month he reached out to Mahomes as soon as he saw the Chiefs star go down. Ertz tore his ACL a week earlier, so he understood the position Mahomes was soon to find himself in.

The two built a friendship and used each other as a source of motivation.

"It would start off as, 'What are you deadlifting?'" Mahomes said to Taylor. "Then it's like sending little videos. He's jumping and doing certain acceleration things. I'm sending him [the] next week [me] doing cutting and stuff like that.

"Sometimes you're lonely because you're doing stuff by yourself. It gave me someone else that I can compete with to kind of push my competitive drive."

The Chiefs didn't give Mahomes an injury designation heading into their opener against the Denver Broncos. That set the stage for him to resume his usual starting role.

Nobody knows for sure how he'll fare once the game begins, though.

Mahomes hinted at one small adjustment he could make after his knee injury. He told Taylor that he "ran a little bit too much" toward the end of his 2025 season.

Mahomes' ability to improvise in the pocket is a a reason why he has been so successful in the NFL. That may be a facet of his game he curtails a bit to limit the hits he's taking.

In general, nobody is doubting whether he'll remain an elite passer given how aggressively he worked to get ready for Week 1.