Patrick Mahomes is fully cleared.
These are words that Chiefs fans have been hoping to hear all summer long.
Mahomes tore his ACL and LCL during a Week 15 contest against the Chargers in December as the Chiefs missed the playoffs for the first time since 2014.
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ESPN reported Friday that the Chiefs’ medical staff and Dr. Dan Cooper — who performed Mahomes’ knee surgery — cleared the perennial All-Pro quarterback to fully participate in camp, which begins next week.
Patrick Mahomes will be ready for Chiefs’ training camp, which begins on July 29. Getty Images
“I feel stronger than I’ve ever felt, as far as strength and lifting [weights],” Mahomes said Friday. “I feel amazing.
“I’m excited just to be able to play football. I’ve been seeing cinderblock walls rehabbing every single day in Kansas City. Now, to be on that practice field with my teammates, it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
Mahomes, 30, is just over seven months removed from his procedure on Dec. 15 and said Wednesday that he will continue wearing a compression sleeve and a brace on his left leg as he continues working his way toward a full return on the field.
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Mahomes is expected to lead the first-team offense during 11-on-11 runs throughout training camp.
According to ESPN, Mahomes proved to the medical staff that he can cut, run and change direction at a sufficient level to showcase the ability to protect himself at camp.
Patrick Mahomes tore his ACL and LCL in a game against the Chargers on December 14, 2025, opting for season-ending surgery the next day. Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
“He’s been working so hard that you have a pretty good feel that he’s in a good place,” coach Andy Reid said of Mahomes, according to ESPN. “We’ve got to see how things go and not make any predictions about [Week 1].”
Mahomes added, “I don’t get hit, so that’s one part of it, but it’s good to be out there and have bodies around and be able to go through and run the offense. I want [Reid] to call [plays] it like we’re going to call it in the regular season. That’s going to be the best way for me to prepare myself. I want to go out there and test [the knee].”
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Though the Chiefs begin camp Wednesday, their first preseason game won’t be until Aug. 15 against the Rams.
Kansas City will travel to Tampa Bay for a date with the Buccaneers on Aug. 22 and then finish preseason against the Seahawks at home six days later.
The Chiefs will begin their 2026 regular season by hosting “Monday Night Football” against the Broncos on Sept. 14.
