It’s tough to find a silver lining when it comes to Patrick Mahomes‘ major knee injury. When it happened last December, it marked the bitter end to the Kansas City Chiefs’ dreadful 2025 season. Aside from being eliminated from playoff contention, the injury also meant Mahomes was set to face a lengthy recovery process.
By all accounts, Mahomes has crushed his rehab work so far. He’s already participating in OTA practices, and has been adamant that Week 1 is the goal – and it’s a realistic one. If Mahomes is back for the first game, he could be set for a big bounceback season. Ideally, Rashee Rice will be back in the fold to give the quarterback a strong set of weapons. If everything goes according to plan, Chiefs fans could see MVP Mahomes back in the fold.
Patrick Mahomes looks smooth on the golf course and Chiefs fans can’t wait for the NFL season
It’s been three years now since Mahomes won an MVP award. His 2022 season was epic, nearly one-upping his historic 2018 MVP season. The stats simply haven’t been there for the QB in recent seasons, but positive regression looks set to hit, potentially as early as 2026.
Could Patrick Mahomes win both MVP and CPOY awards in 2026?
Mahomes putting together an MVP season in 2026 could also certainly mean he wins the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award. Returning from a major knee injury and putting up gaudy numbers should, theoretically, see that come true. If it does, Mahomes would make NFL history: No NFL player has ever won both the MVP and CPOY awards in the same season.
There have been a couple of occasions where this nearly happened. Adrian Peterson (MVP) and Peyton Manning (CPOY) in 2012 practically swapped awards, while Joe Burrow (CPOY) finished fourth in MVP voting in 2024, as did Christian McCaffrey (CPOY) last season.
Generally, AP voters tend to avoid handing out multiple awards to the same player. But if Mahomes has a massive season in 2026, they may not be able to avoid it.