Patrick Mahomes will be a ‘shell of his normal self’ if he rushes the grueling recovery from a multi-ligament knee injury to be ready for the start of next season, a top sports doctor has warned.
During Sunday’s 16-13 defeat to the Los Angeles Chargers which eliminated them from playoff contention, Mahomes, 30, suffered a torn left ACL and LCL as the Kansas City Chiefs’ grim fate was sealed, capping a miserable afternoon for the team all round.
To the surprise of many, the superstar quarterback had surgery on his left knee a mere 24 hours later, with esteemed surgeon Dr. Dan Cooper – who works as the head team physician for the Dallas Cowboys – carrying out the op successfully.
The speed at which Mahomes went under the knife raised alarm bells as typically ACL surgeries are carried out weeks later, when swelling in the knee has had time to reduce.
Yet in an interview with the Daily Mail, Dr Jesse Morse – a board-certified sports medicine physician with over a decade of experience – has calmed those fears by explaining how LCL tears are typically repaired within two days.
‘Dr Cooper specializes in reconstruction or repair of the LCL,’ Morse explained. ‘So I think my suspicion is when he evaluated Mahomes’ knee he said, ‘You have a significant LCL tear and probably also a PLC (posterolateral corner), if that doesn’t get repaired then the rest of the knee really suffers, even if the ACL isn’t reconstructed yet. So that has to be done very soon, a couple days at the most.’
Patrick Mahomes will be a ‘shell of his normal self’ if he returns from his knee injury in time for the start of next season, a top sports doctor has warned
The Chiefs quarterback had surgery just 24 hours after tearing his ACL and LCL on Sunday
‘Most of the time they would wait for two to four weeks to reconstruct the ACL separately, but he probably just said, ‘Hey, yes there’s gonna be some swelling in there, but let’s just do it all at the same time, that will save you a second surgery and it will also speed up recovery.”
Morse admits the decision to operate on both tears simultaneously is almost entirely a result of Mahomes’ desire to be fit in time for their opening game next year.
Typically, a return to sports before the nine-month mark is not advised when recovering from an ACL tear, while it may also take 12 to 15 months to regain full strength in the knee. Week 1 of the 2026 season is scheduled to begin in just under nine months’ time.
While he expects him to go to extreme lengths to be ready, Morse believes Mahomes still won’t be at his best if he does line up in Kansas City’s season-opener.
‘Mahomes is going to do everything in his power to be back for week one next year, in my opinion. But he is not going to look very good,’ the injury expert continued.
‘He’s going to look like a shell of his normal self, he’s not going to have the mobility that you expect out of him, and that really won’t return until probably 2027. Traditionally this takes 12 to 15 months. These are long recoveries, these are frustrating recoveries.
‘But even if he doesn’t have the same physical abilities that he usually does, mentally, with his arm strength, some mobility is better than 99 percent of the backups. That’s how I think it will play out.’
And what about the risk of reinjury? ‘I’ll probably say hypothetically he’s going to be about 65 percent [by Week 1],’ Morse added. ‘I don’t think they’ll clear him unless he’s ready to return. Sometimes he’ll be wanting to go but the team’s like, ‘Nope, we don’t feel you’re ready,’ and he’s too important to the franchise to justify it.
Dr Jesse Morse – a board-certified sports medicine physician with over a decade of experience – says Mahomes will be operating at 65 percent if he returns before the nine-month mark
The three-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback has suffered the first big injury of his career
Mahomes, pictured alongside wife Brittany, now faces a tough period of rehabilitation
‘But in general, yes, he has increased risk. That’s why they don’t allow players to return before certain timelines because there’s a risk of reinjury; just like a hamstring, just like a PCL, just like any of the other things, especially post-surgical where there’s a lot of shaking off the rust.’
Mahomes is in unfamiliar territory after sustaining the first major injury of his Chiefs career, while also preparing to watch the postseason from the outside looking in for the very first time since becoming starting quarterback in 2018.
For Kansas City, is is the first time they have failed to make the playoffs since 2014, while they are staring at the possibility of a first losing season since 2012 after falling to 6-8 on Sunday.
All of these unwelcome statistics will only drive Mahomes on in his bid to rehabilitate from his multi-ligament injury quicker than most mere mortals. The Chiefs can ill afford to get off to a slow start next year and face another uphill battle to make the playoffs from the get go.
‘He has the best resources money can buy,’ Morse stressed. ‘Between hyperbaric chambers, regular PTs that are really high level, stem cells that you have available, there’s certain things that most normal people won’t have access to, and they’re going to challenge him way more than than normal people would.
‘And he has people that he works with regularly, so they already know his body really well, they know what he can do and what he shouldn’t do yet. They already know his baseline.’
However, he believes Mahomes and the Chiefs will have to wait until late next summer to learn his Week 1 status.
‘I think if anybody is going to do it, it’s going to be Mahomes because that’s who he is and that’s the mindset he has,’ Morse concluded. ‘But with that being said, I think the team will protect him and prevent him from returning if he’s not quite ready.
‘Realistically, I think we’ll know probably by late July, early August if he’s actually going to be ready for week one or if he’s just not ready.’
After his Sunday from hell, Mahomes vowed to come back ‘stronger than ever’ in 2026 as he prepares to get his rapid rehabilitation program underway.
‘Don’t know why this had to happen. And not going to lie it’s hurts. But all we can do now is Trust in God and attack every single day over and over again,’ he wrote on X following the loss to LA.
‘Thank you Chiefs kingdom for always supporting me and for everyone who has reached out and sent prayers. I Will be back stronger than ever’.
