Patrick Mahomes Is Cleared, and He Is Using This Training Camp to Prove He Is Better Than Ever
After months of grueling rehabilitation, the Chiefs' franchise quarterback arrived in St. Joseph ready to go, which always was the goal he set for himself.
The news out of St. Joseph last Friday was about as good as Chiefs Kingdom could have hoped for. Patrick Mahomes arrived at Missouri Western State University fully cleared to practice, and by the sound of it, the last eight months of rehab have done little to dim his competitive fire.
“It was always the goal to be able to practice when we got to training camp, and so we’ve kind of hit that next step, and now it’s just going to be about building and keep getting better and better so that whenever the regular season comes, I can try to be available and be ready to play,” Mahomes said.
The clearance came just two days before rookies and quarterbacks reported, following a visit with team physician Dr. Dan Cooper that gave the medical staff the comfort level to give him the green light.
“Him (Cooper) seeing the numbers and stuff that I’ve been putting up, he gave them (Chiefs medical staff) the comfortability to let me go out there and be fully cleared to practice,” Mahomes said. “I don’t get hit, so that’s one part of it, but it’s still good to be out there and have bodies around and being able to go through and run the offense.”
A veteran like head coach Andy Reid knows not to throw caution to the wind when it comes to a franchise quarterback like Mahomes, but it sounds like Mahomes will still get the necessary reps to get prepared for Week 1 of the 2026 season.
“We’ll start off with usual reps,” Reid said. “The nice thing about having this rookie camp is you can kind of gradually build it up and then he gets a day off, normally that third day anyway. So, we’ll get an idea where he’s at there, but he’s been working so hard, you have a pretty good feel that he’s in a good place.”
When asked about his expectations for Week 1, Reid was optimistic but measured.
“Listen, I’m optimistic, and I know that he (Mahomes) is extremely optimistic, but I think you’ve got to see how things go here,” Reid said. “Let’s just see where we’re at and not make any predictions or anything else. Take it day-by-day and see where it goes.”
Mahomes, for his part, is not just aiming to return to where he was. There is a reason why guys like Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Aaron Rodgers were able to be the best in the business for so long.
They were able to get the ball out quickly and/or rely on their offensive line and run game to lengthen their careers. Throughout the rehab process, Mahomes seems to have also shifted his mindset for when he comes back.
“I think it’s about getting the ball out of my hands,” Mahomes said. “Obviously, I like to make big plays happen, and sometimes I won’t take the short one, or I won’t take the first read because I’m trying to make a bigger play happen. It’s getting the ball out of my hands, making plays how they happen. Then whenever the deep ball is there, you have to hit it … If we can do that as well as the run game that I’m excited for, I think we can get back to being a dynamic offense.”
He also acknowledged running less, something the 422 rushing yards he compiled in just 14 games last season bears out as a legitimate area of concern.
That said, Mahomes knows swapping out Kareem Hunt and Isiah Pacheco for Kenneth Walker, Emari Demercado and Emmett Johnson should lessen the burden.
“I’m going to obviously try and take care of myself a little better than I did last season,” Mahomes said. “I think I ran too much last season in general; I’ll try to be better with that. All else fails, I’ll give it to K9 (Walker) and let him just go out there and work.”
As for evolving into a better passer from the pocket, Mahomes credited OTAs and mini camp for that. The 10-year veteran mentioned that throughout those workouts there were times that he would have scrambled, but instead went through his progressions.
Perhaps the most revealing moment of Thursday’s session was when Mahomes was asked what the toughest part of the rehab process was. The answer had nothing to do with football.
“Honestly, the toughest part was the beginning, not being able to get up and chase my kids around,” Mahomes said. “I know that sounds crazy, but being a dad and being active, I always want to be around my kids and playing and stuff like that. I think that was tough. Once I was able to do that, it kind of motivated me to kind of keep getting better and better.”
Mahomes had all the support in the world, and obviously did not attack these last eight months alone. He mentioned speaking with Brady, who suffered a similar injury at a similar age, and also former teammate Tyrann Mathieu, who suffered a slew of injuries throughout his career.
He also found competition in an unexpected place, staying in touch with veteran tight end Zach Ertz, who suffered a similar injury on a similar timeline. The two spent time coming back through competing with each other.
“It would start off as how much deadlift, like what you’re deadlifting, where you’re at,” Mahomes said. “Then it’s like sending little videos, he’s jumping and doing certain acceleration things, and I’m sending him next week doing cutting and stuff like that. It keeps the competition going because it’s a long process and you feel lonely sometimes because you’re doing stuff by yourself and you’re just competing with yourself. It gave me someone else I can compete with to kind of push my competitive drive.”
The full squad arrives July 29. By Mahomes’ own admission, this training camp will be the hardest he has had in terms of what it demands of him.
If all the other boxes he’s checked since last December are any indication, he will also pass this test with flying colors, leaving him ready for Monday Night Football against the Denver Broncos on December 14.
EXTRAS
Rashee Rice: Reid confirmed Rice has been rehabbing at the facility since his release from jail and will participate in camp, albeit maybe not on a full-time basis quite yet. Mahomes added that he has been throwing to Rice regularly during the rehab process.
“He’s doing great. I’ve thrown it to him, he’s caught. He’s doing a lot of stuff he needs to do,” Mahomes said. “I don’t know if he’ll be out on the field, but I know he’s rehabbing and doing what he needs to be doing to be on the field whenever camp gets going.”
Mansoor Delane: The first-round cornerback was undergoing his final physical (shoulder) as of Thursday and is expected to be cleared, although he has been seen in a non-contact jersey. Reid offered an encouraging word on the rookie.
“We like the way he goes about his business. He’s a focused kid, he seems to be a smart, sharp kid, and then he’s willing to work,” Reid said. “He was banged up a little bit, but he’s willing to work, and he’s aggressive that way, too aggressive in the case where he hurt himself there, but I think you got a good player there.”
Omarr Norman-Lott: The second-year defensive tackle is expected to begin camp on the PUP list as he continues his recovery from a torn ACL suffered in Week 7 of last season. Reid noted he is making progress and could see the field at some point during camp.
“Whether it’s during training camp or yeah somewhere in training camp potentially, he’ll be out there, but yeah, I think we just got to keep the strength part of it coming with him,” Reid said.
L’Jarius Sneed: Reid indicated the veteran cornerback will be eased back into action gradually, consistent with how the team has always managed his knee, dating back to his first stint with the Chiefs.
“We always, like we did before, kept an eye on him with his knee, and we’ll just take him slowly and gradually get him back into the mix as we go, but look forward to getting him on the field,” Reid said.