Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is “ahead of schedule” in his return from a knee injury, according to team owner Clark Hunt.
Mahomes, 30, tore the ACL and LCL in his left knee in a Dec. 14 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. The two-time NFL MVP sat out the rest of the season and the Chiefs (6-11) missed the playoffs for the first time since 2014.
“By every indication, Patrick is ahead of schedule, and he’s worked really hard to be ahead of schedule,” Hunt said this week at the NFL’s annual meeting in Phoenix. “Knowing how that plays out in terms of being ready for contact, I don’t think any of us can speculate. But he’s doing fantastic, and we certainly hope we’re going to bounce back this year. We absolutely think we’re a playoff team again, for sure.”
With Mahomes’ timetable uncertain, Clark said the NFL isn’t likely to choose the Chiefs to play in the NFL kickoff game on Wednesday, Sept. 9, against the Super Bowl champion Seahawks in Seattle.
“I don’t think that’s on the table anymore for us to be in Seattle (for the opener),” he told Front Office Sports. “From a league standpoint, I think there would be some concern whether our quarterback will be ready to go. My guess is the league won’t want to take that risk.”
Mahomes has guided the Chiefs to five Super Bowl appearances and three championships since being drafted 10th overall in 2017. He is 95-31 as a starter in the regular season and 17-4 in the postseason.
The other quarterbacks on the Kansas City roster are Justin Fields, Jake Haener and Chris Oladokun.
