![\"Patrick](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2247032274-e1779834485659.jpg\")
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. <\/p>\n
Kansas City Chiefs<\/a> quarterback Patrick Mahomes<\/a> is on track to return from a torn ACL that abruptly ended his 2025 season, but one NFL<\/a> insider is warning about the challenge he still faces once he steps back onto the field.<\/p>\n Mahomes has shown some encouraging signs through the offseason, participating in part through the team\u2019s offseason practices and making strides in his rehab. The former league MVP set a goal to return for the start of the season, and he appears to be on track to reach that goal.<\/p>\n Patrick Mahomes May Need More Time to Fully Return<\/p>\n ESPN\u2019s Adam Schefter believes Mahomes will face a bigger challenge in regaining his previous form, however.<\/p>\n Schefter noted that Mahomes still remains ahead of schedule on his rehab and is on track to start the season for the Chiefs, but believes returning to 100% will be a separate challenge.<\/p>\n \u201cThe real question will be not whether he plays, but how effective he\u2019ll be,\u201d Schefter said.<\/p>\n Pro Football Network\u2019s Sadik Hossain<\/a> added that this \u201cstark\u201d warning to Mahomes could mean an early season challenge for the Chiefs.<\/p>\n \u201cA torn ACL paired with an LCL injury is no small setback, especially for a quarterback whose game depends on mobility, quick footwork, and improvisation under pressure,\u201d Hossain wrote.\u00a0 \u201cSchefter\u2019s framing suggests the Chiefs could get their franchise player back on schedule, only to watch him operate at something less than his usual level early on.\u201d<\/p>\n But the Chiefs may have still avoided the worst-case scenario, which would see Mahomes missing games to start the season. SI.com insider Albert Breer<\/a> noted earlier this offseason that the Chiefs quarterback was checking all the boxes in order to return for the season opener and keep veteran Justin Fields<\/a> on the bench.<\/p>\n \u201cAhead of schedule,\u201d\u00a0Breer wrote\u00a0in June.<\/p>\n \u201cThat should set up for the Chiefs to have their three-time champion triggerman back in the saddle for Week 1 \u2026 at least, that\u2019s the hope,\u201d Breer added.<\/p>\n The Chiefs made a significant investment in Fields, trading for the former first-round pick as an insurance policy, and head coach Andy Reid said he would be confident turning to Fields if needed. The team also added a long-term developmental project in rookie Garrett Nussmeier<\/a>, who is expected to land on the practice squad for the 2026 season.<\/p>\n Chiefs Made Big Offseason Commitment to Patrick Mahomes<\/p>\n The Chiefs left no doubt about their long-term outlook for Mahomes, giving the quarterback a restructured contract that will keep him through the 2033 season and pay him a total of $504.75 million.<\/p>\n Chiefs chairman and CEO Clark Hunt offered praise for Mahomes after the team announced the extension.<\/p>\n \u201cOver the last decade Patrick has become one of the most iconic, beloved sports figures of all-time,\u201d Hunt said.<\/p>\n \u201cHe has helped lead our franchise to five Super Bowl appearances and three championships, he has been instrumental in shaping the Chiefs brand and putting Kansas City on the world stage, and on top of it all he has been an outstanding role model in the community.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tNathan Dougherty<\/a> is a sports reporter covering the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions and Miami Dolphins. Previously he wrote for the Rochester Business Journal and served as the assistant editor of athletic trade magazines Coaching Management, Athletic Management and Training & Conditioning. He is based out of Rochester, New York, and loves everything football. More about Nathan Dougherty<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is on track to return…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":791350,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[559],"tags":[64,63,593,85],"class_list":["post-791349","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nfl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-nfl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/791349","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=791349"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/791349\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/791350"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=791349"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=791349"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=791349"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}