07/24/26 04:27:00
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07/24 16:25 CDT Patrick Mahomes cleared with no limits for the start of Chiefs
training camp after knee surgery
Patrick Mahomes cleared with no limits for the start of Chiefs training camp
after knee surgery
By DAVE SKRETTA
AP Sports Writer
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) --- Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has been cleared to
participate in the start of training camp, checking off one of the major goals
that the two-time MVP set for himself when he underwent surgery late last year
to repair torn ligaments in his left knee.
Mahomes said Friday he visited earlier this week with Dr. Dan Cooper, the
Dallas-based orthopedic surgeon who performed the operation, and that he met
all the benchmarks necessary to report to Missouri Western State University on
time.
The Chiefs begin practice Saturday for rookies, quarterbacks and players coming
off injuries. Full-squad work begins next week.
None of those players is more important than Mahomes, who hurt his knee late in
a loss to the Chargers in December. He underwent surgery immediately afterward,
and rather than spend the offseason at his Texas home like usual, Mahomes
toiled away at the Chiefs' practice facility, pushing forward with his rehab so
he would be ready to go by the late-July start of camp.
"It was always the goal to be able to practice when I got to training camp. We
kind of hit that step," Mahomes said. "Now, it's about building and keep
getting better and better, so when the regular season comes around, I can be
available."
Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Mahomes was fully cleared --- no limitations at all
--- but that he would evaluate the cornerstone of the franchise on a daily
basis. Whether he participates in any of the Chiefs' preseason games remains to
be seen.
The preseason opener against the Rams is Aug. 15. But the far more important
date is Sept. 14, when the Chiefs welcome the AFC West-champion Broncos to
Arrowhead Stadium for a marquee Monday night showdown in Week 1.
"We'll see about games and all that once we get there," Reid said, "but right
now, we're just taking it day by day."
Mahomes, who signed a lucrative restructured contract in June that will tie him
to the Chiefs through the 2033 season, plans to wear a brace on his left knee,
much like he did while recovering from an injury in college, in part because it
doesn't really bother him.
But other than that, he plans to participate in camp just like he has for the
past decade.
"Like, I'm a competitor," Mahomes said, "so gameday, I'm going to want to be
out there. But I understand the process of getting myself ready to play in the
regular season is more important (than the preseason). But we'll see. I mean,
the coaches and doctors will kind of make that decision for me, but I'll
prepare myself like I'm going to play. And then if I'm just doing a very hard
warmup, I'll take that as serious as playing in the preseason game. It's just a
couple of weeks away, but it feels like a long ways away."
Not nearly as long as it probably felt in December, when Mahomes was rehabbing
largely by himself. He got some advice from Tom Brady and former teammate
Tyrann Mathieu, who overcame similar injuries in their careers, about how to
proceed, and then he found an unexpected virtual workout buddy in Eagles tight
end Zach Ertz.
Ertz also tore his ACL last December, and the two would send each other videos
of themselves doing deadlifts, sprints and agility, each trying to upstage the
other as they progressed through the long, difficult days of the rehab process.
"They all said, ?Stay on top of it,'" Mahomes said. "I mean, it's a long
process. I remember sitting on the table and watching us play those last few
games, how much it hurt me. But I knew that if I continue to work, I can be at
this spot where I get cleared for practice, and now I'm trying to get to that
spot where I'm cleared to play for the regular season."
Notes: DT Omarr Norman-Lott is likely to begin camp on the physically
unable-to-perform list after tearing his right ACL in October, Reid said. "Big
guys with ACLs, it takes a little time to come back," he said. ... WR Rashee
Rice was cleared to practice after surgery in May to clean up debris in his
right knee. ... CB Mansoor Delane, the Chiefs' first-round pick, was undergoing
physicals Friday and Reid is hopeful that he will be on the practice field
soon. He hurt his shoulder during offseason workouts.
___
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