Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes returned to the field Monday and started at quarterback in Kansas City's 31-10 win over the Denver Broncos in the team's season opener, throwing two touchdowns and running for another. The appearance capped a nine-month recovery from the most significant injury of his nine-year career, a torn ACL and LCL in his left knee suffered on Dec. 14.
Mahomes was hurt in the Chiefs' Week 15 game against the Los Angeles Chargers, planting his left foot after throwing the ball away on a scramble and hyperextending the knee, damaging his LCL. Kansas City lost that game 16-13, eliminating the team from the playoffs for its first missed postseason since 2014. Mahomes said afterward, "I wasn't playing my best at the end of last year before I got hurt.
Less than an hour after the injury, Mahomes, team head trainer Rick Burkholder, his agent Chris Cabott, his wife Brittany, coach Andy Reid, general manager Brett Veach and owner Clark Hunt gathered to discuss next steps, with the 2026 season opener 273 days away at that point.
Cooper was chosen in part because of his experience repairing two of the four main stabilizing knee ligaments 24 hours after injury, including reattaching the LCL, allowing Mahomes to avoid the typical wait most players face while swelling subsides, according to Aaron Borgmann, founder of Borgmann Rehab Solutions and a former Chiefs physical therapist and athletic trainer. Burkholder said Mahomes also had no artery, nerve, joint surface or meniscal damage.
Julie Frymyer, one of the Chiefs' top assistant athletic trainers, began working with Mahomes less than 24 hours after his surgery, a process the two had been through for three other injuries during his career, including a dislocated right kneecap on Oct. 17, 2019, after which Mahomes missed just two games and returned 24 days later. Veach called Mahomes' effort during the latest recovery an example of leadership, saying, "He gave up an entire summer.
