NFL news: Patrick Mahomes spotted throwing football 3 months after ACL tear

Patrick Mahomes suffered a devastating knee injury that ended his 2025 season and completely crushed the hopes of the Kansas City Chiefs of making the playoffs.

Mahomes suffered the injury on Dec. 14, 2025, in Week 15 against the Los Angeles Chargers. A torn ACL usually takes about nine months for most athletes to recover from and return to the sport that they play. It would pin Mahomes’ return to around Week 1 of the 2026 season.

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Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) walks on the field prior to the game against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium on Nov. 27, 2025.  (Kevin Jairaj/Imagn Images)

While his status for the start of the 2026 regular season is still up in the air, the star quarterback posted a video that would get any NFL fan excited for his return to the field.

“QB1 back in the lab,” the Chiefs wrote on X.

The video showed Mahomes dropping back and throwing a football. He was seen with a black compression sleeve on his leg. It was only a six-second clip, but he appeared to be making good progress in his rehab process.

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Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) throws a pass against the Dallas Cowboys during the fourth quarter at AT&T Stadium on Nov. 27, 2025.  (Kevin Jairaj/Imagn Images)

Mahomes addressed his status in January once the season was finished.

“First off, rehab is going great so far. I’ve been hitting all the checkpoints that the doctor wants you to do and getting the strength and the range of mobility back,” Mahomes said. “So, that’s been going great. I’ve been doing all of it here in Kansas City so far. (Assistant athletic trainer) Julie (Frymyer) has been crushing it, pushing me. The doctor kind of gives you goals to get to, and I just try to maximize those, and they hold me back because I always want to go a little bit further. It’s been going great.

“I think the long-term, I want to be ready for Week 1. The doctor says that I could be, but I can’t predict what’s going to happen throughout the process but that’s my goal, so I’ll try to prepare myself to be ready to play in that Week 1 and have no restrictions. You want to be out there healthy and giving us the best chance to win. Obviously, I hope to be able to do some stuff in OTAs and get to training camp and hopefully be able to do a lot there. I’m excited for the process. It’s a long process, but I’m excited for it.”

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes grabs his knee after being injured during the second half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025 in Kansas City, Missouri. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)

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The Chiefs traded for Justin Fields this month to add depth at the quarterback position.

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