Rick Burkholder, its vice president of sports medicine and performance, said Wednesday that the procedure performed in Dallas by Dr. Dan Cooper on Monday night went well. The surgery occurred about 24 hours after Mahomes tore his ACL and ACL in a loss to the Chargers.
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The recovery time for an injury of this type is approximately nine months, although it can vary several months depending on various factors. The next season is expected to begin on September 10, 2026, and the Chiefs could play their first game a few days later.
“Every player is different. Every sport is different. Every position is different,” Burkholder said. “(Mahomes) is so in tune with what he does, he does it a little faster. Generally speaking, this is nine months, but it could be a month or two more, a month or two less.”
The loss to the Chargers eliminated the Chiefs from postseason contention, ending that decade-long streak. They had also won the last nine AFC West titles, reached the previous seven conference championship games and played in the last three Super Bowls.
Now, backup Gardner Minshew will be the quarterback for the final three games beginning Sunday at Tennessee.
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“Quick turnaround from a very emotional game, and obviously the situation with Pat, the situation with our team’s playoff outlook,” he said. “But you know what? You are where you are. We have to turn this around and get a win this weekend.”
The Chiefs could be missing several big names in addition to their star quarterback.
Rashee Rice and fellow receiver Tyquan Thornton are in the concussion protocol after taking heavy hits in the game against Los Angeles, while left tackle Jaylon Moore remains out with a knee injury and right tackle Jawaan Taylor is out with an elbow issue.
On defense, cornerback Trent McDuffie is still dealing with a knee injury and linebacker Leo Chenal with a shoulder issue.
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None of those players practiced Wednesday.
“We’ll see how they progress in time to the game,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said.
As for Mahomes, he plans to return to Kansas City on Friday, where he will continue rehabbing with Burkholder’s staff. Leading the effort will be Julie Frymyer, his assistant coach and top physical therapist, whose name made headlines during the 2022-23 playoffs for her role in helping Mahomes overcome a severely sprained ankle without having to miss a game.
Frymyer even recently appeared alongside Mahomes in a State Farm insurance commercial.
“I think you guys know that as a player, his mentality is a little different than most,” Burkholder said. “He’s so regimented in what he does. He’s here at 6 a.m. He’s the last one out at night. He’ll rehab that way. When you add up all the little things, it allows the player to come back faster. They don’t heal faster, they just get back to their performance faster.”
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Reid said he has spoken with Mahomes daily since the injury in the final minutes of Sunday’s game.
“He’s very positive right now,” Reid said. “Like Rick said, he attacked this the day of. You wouldn’t expect anything less. ‘Get me up, get me going,’ he’s basically saying, an hour into the game. ‘Back me up and let me go.’ Obviously it’s not one of those injuries, but that’s his mindset. I think he’s going to do very well with the rehab. He’s a pretty quick healer in that sense. And his attitude is 90 percent of the way, how you do it. How you’re willing to push through the pain to do it right.”
Minshew acknowledged a strange feeling walking through the team facility without Mahomes this week. But the two quarterbacks have been in contact, and the veteran of 46 starts in seven NFL seasons is looking forward to Mahomes’ input the rest of the way.
“He’s been great, man. As soon as he figured things out, he was texting the QB room,” Minshew said. “Very positive. Trying to cheer us up. That guy still wants us to win. That’s what he cares about.”
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl