Patrick Mahomes is done waiting. Kansas City coach Andy Reid confirmed Friday that his quarterback has been fully cleared to participate in Chiefs training camp, seven months removed from the torn ACL and LCL that ended his 2025 season early.
Mahomes went down in Week 15 against the Los Angeles Chargers on December 14, a collapse that also knocked Kansas City out of playoff contention for the first time in the Mahomes era. He had surgery the next night in Dallas, performed by Dr. Dan Cooper, and started rehab immediately.
Reid didn’t hedge when he addressed reporters in St. Joseph, Missouri, ahead of camp. “It was always the goal to be able to practice when we got to training camp, so we kind of hit that next step,” Mahomes said, “and now it’s going to be about building and keep getting better and better so that whenever the regular season comes along I can try to be available and ready to play.”
The Chiefs will still manage him carefully. Reid said the team plans to “just take it day by day and see how he does” as camp ramps up. Mahomes will wear a knee brace during practice, the same setup he used throughout minicamp, though Forbes reported he hasn’t been told he’s required to keep it on.
That distinction matters. Minicamp had Mahomes running 7-on-7 drills but kept him out of full team periods. Camp is different. According to ESPN, Mahomes is expected to lead the first-team offense through 11-on-11 reps, throwing to Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy, Tyquan Thornton and tight end Travis Kelce for the first time since the injury.
Mahomes said the physical side of the comeback has gone about as well as it could. “I feel stronger than I’ve ever felt, as far as strength and lifting,” he told reporters Friday, according to ESPN. “I feel amazing.”
He’s not the only skill-position piece trending in the right direction. Rice, who underwent knee debridement surgery in May, is also fully cleared for camp. Reid called his recovery “doing great,” and said the receiver will be full-go despite an offseason complicated by a 30-day jail sentence for a probation violation. Rice rehabbed during that stretch and was released June 16, giving him more than a month to prepare before padded practices begin.
Not every injury update out of St. Joseph was as clean. Defensive tackle Omarr Norman-Lott, who tore his ACL in Week 7 last season, will most likely open camp on the physically unable to perform list, Reid said. The Chiefs will take a slower approach getting him back on the field than they are with Mahomes or Rice.
| Player | Injury | Camp Status |
|---|---|---|
| Patrick Mahomes | Torn ACL/LCL (left knee), Dec. 14, 2025 | Fully cleared, full participation |
| Rashee Rice | Knee debridement, May 2026 | Fully cleared, full participation |
| Omarr Norman-Lott | Torn ACL, Week 7 2025 | Likely to open camp on PUP list |
The bigger picture is straightforward enough. Kansas City went 6-11 last season and missed the postseason for the first time in more than a decade with Mahomes sidelined down the stretch. Getting him back to full speed, brace and all, running the actual playbook against a live defense, is the first real test of whether that version of the Chiefs offense — with its top two skill players both working back from knee procedures — can be whole again by Week 1.
Reid isn’t ready to promise anything about the regular-season opener yet. “I’m optimistic,” he said Friday. “And I know he is extremely optimistic. But I think you’ve got to see how things go here. Let’s just see where we’re at and not making any predictions or anything else.” Kansas City opens the season at home against the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football, a matchup that will also feature Denver quarterback Bo Nix working back from a fractured ankle.
Camp officially opens for Chiefs veterans on July 28, with the first padded practice to follow in the days after.
