KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes underwent surgery in Dallas on Monday night to repair the ACL he tore in his left knee in a loss to the Chargers, and the team said in statement that he would begin the long rehabilitation process immediately.
The procedure was performed by Dr. Dan Cooper, a highly regarded orthopedist and the team physician of the Dallas Cowboys.
Mahomes tore the ligament when he was spun to the ground while trying to keep Kansas City’s postseason hopes alive late in the 16-13 loss on Sunday. The team announced the severity of the injury in a statement later that night.
“I’ve had a good visit with him, a couple of different times. He’s in a good place,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said earlier Monday. “You know, he always feels like he let people down, but he comes back and he’s ready for the challenge ahead.”
There are a number of factors that go into how long the recovery time will be, including the severity of the tear. Most players are able to return to the field in six to 12 months, which means Mahomes should be back at some point next season.
Gardner Minshew will quarterback the Chiefs through the final three games of this season.
The Chiefs were eliminated from playoff contention for the first time in a decade Sunday with the loss to the Chargers, coupled with three other results that didn’t go their way. They had reached the past seven AFC championship games with Mahomes as the starter, winning three Super Bowls and losing two others along the way, including one to Philadelphia this past February.
“He'll attack it, just like he does everything else,” Reid said of the rehab. “There have been some pretty good quarterbacks that have had the same injury and done pretty well after they came back. He'll get after it, and he's got good people here to rehab him.”
That includes two of his current AFC rivals.
Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow tore both the ACL and MCL in his left knee in November 2020, and he recovered in time to play the next season, when he was voted the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year. Colts quarterback Daniel Jones tore his right ACL in November 2023 when he was with the Giants, and he came back to start Week 1 the following season.
Tom Brady tore his ACL and MCL in the Patriots' 2008 opener. He started all 16 games the next year and was voted NFL MVP.
The 30-year-old Mahomes has dodged such severe injuries for most of his career.
The worst may have come in 2019, when Mahomes dislocated his kneecap on a sneak against the Broncos. His most famous may have occurred during the 2022 playoffs, when he sustained a severe high ankle sprain; questions swirled around whether Mahomes would even be able to play the next week, and he not only did but eventually led the Chiefs to a Super Bowl title.
The Chiefs do not have another quarterback besides Mahomes signed for next season, so the last three weeks of this season could be an audition for Minshew, the veteran backup who finished out the loss to the Chargers on Sunday.
He completed three straight passes before an interception on a throw intended for Travis Kelce effectively ended the game.
“I've got a ton of confidence in Gardner,” Reid said. “I've watched him play with these other teams. He's started in the league. Our guys have confidence in him, and Chris Oladokun behind him will work, and he's been with us a while. Those are two guys we trust.”
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