The Kansas City Chiefs’ 2026 season is in limbo as it depends on the health of their superstar quarterback, Patrick Mahomes.
Mahomes tore his ACL and LCL during week 15 of last season. However, according to one of the Chiefs quarterback’s closest teammates, he is taking all the necessary steps to return.
Travis Kelce Speaks Up on Patrick Mahomes’ Injury
On an episode of the “New Heights Podcast,” a podcast that Travis Kelce and Jason Kelce co-host, the topic of Mahomes’ rehab came up.
Travis went on to say, “he’s [Mahomes] just a hard-working American man who lives in Kansas City, f**king knocking out rehab and getting f**king his leg strength back.”
Jason then asked Travis whether Mahomes’ PCL “grows faster in his leg than in my leg,” to which the Chiefs tight end replied: “It’s all dependent on how you handle rehab.”
It seems like there is a chance that Mahomes is ready for week one. If he is not, the Chiefs have some other options at quarterback. The first is Justin Fields, who did not play well last season, earning a D+ grade and ranking 33rd at his position, according to PFSN’s QB Impact Metric.
However, Fields does have great physical tools, such as his speed. Chiefs head coach Andy Reid has shown that he can get the most out of trait-based quarterbacks, so the former Chicago Bears quarterback could work in Kansas City.
The second is Garrett Nussmeier, whom the Chiefs just drafted in the seventh round, and he will compete for the QB3 spot. At the beginning of last year, Nussmeier was projected to be the first overall pick in the draft. However, the LSU product had a bumpy season, and was injured, which led to him falling in the draft.
Even though his season wasn’t ideal, Nussmeier still showed flashes of greatness and has significant potential. He played in the SEC, so he has the experience of playing on the biggest stage against quality opponents. Nussmeier last year earned a C grade and ranked 110th in PFSN’s College QB Impact Metric.
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If Mahomes can come back week 1 ready to go, he will have a lot of new help. In free agency, the Chiefs were able to sign Super Bowl MVP running back Kenneth Walker III. Walker is coming off a great year with the Seattle Seahawks and has fantastic power and contact balance, so the Chiefs’ running game is expected to be much better than it was last season.
Kelce is also returning to Kansas City. Some thought that he might hang up the cleats, but the future Hall of Famer is coming back at age 36. Despite Kelce being four years away from 40, he is still producing well in the league. According to PFSN’s TE Impact Metric, he posted an impact score of 80.6 last season, ranking 12th at his position.
The Chiefs also brought back Eric Bieniemy from the Chicago Bears to be their new offensive coordinator. He served as the OC in Kansas City during the “Legion of Zoom” years, where the Chiefs had high-powered offenses from 2018 to 2022. During this span, the team appeared in three Super Bowls, winning two.
Overall, the Chiefs have a more positive outlook on this than some might expect. They have a good roster and options if Mahomes is not ready to go.
