{"id":673620,"date":"2026-05-30T06:15:13","date_gmt":"2026-05-30T06:15:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/673620\/"},"modified":"2026-05-30T06:15:13","modified_gmt":"2026-05-30T06:15:13","slug":"patrick-mahomes-hitting-recovery-checkpoints-by-trusting-chiefs-trainer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/673620\/","title":{"rendered":"Patrick Mahomes hitting recovery checkpoints by trusting Chiefs trainer"},"content":{"rendered":"

There is no question about the goal for Kansas City Chiefs<\/a> quarterback Patrick Mahomes as he rehabilitates from surgery to repair the ACL and LCL in his left knee: to start the 2026 season alongside his teammates in Week 1.<\/p>\n

That doesn\u2019t seem so unrealistic after his participation in OTA practices this week, the first full-team practice sessions of the offseason, but that has been Mahomes\u2019 goal since January, when he expressed it in his first availability to the media<\/a> since a successful surgery following the team\u2019s Week 15 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s hard to blame anyone for believing that Mahomes will be good to go for the opener, but it\u2019s likely that many with those beliefs do not think (or know) to credit the ultimate catalyst to his recovery: Chiefs\u2019 Assistant Athletic Trainer and Physical Therapist Julie Frymyer.<\/p>\n

She has been working directly with Mahomes and Dr. Cooper, who performed the surgery, to ensure the quarterback known for inevitability is back on the field when he is physically ready. That undetermined date is likely much later than the day Mahomes would be mentally and emotionally ready, and that\u2019s why Frymyer is so important to the whole process.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a competitor, I want to be out there with my guys,\u201d Mahomes told reporters in a press conference on Thursday following two days of OTA practice. \u201cWe\u2019ve kind of set these checkpoints and goals of where I want to be at, and I\u2019ve gotten to those, so now, I just have to continue to do that at the right pace.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mahomes explained that his \u201ccheckpoints\u201d usually come every week to two weeks, allowing him to focus on short-term objectives, one at a time, that add up to a full recovery. Currently, he is in a phase focused on running and cutting, aiming to prove to Julie and the team\u2019s head trainer, Rick Burkholder, that he can protect himself before the organization approves his full participation in practice; head coach Andy Reid confirmed that Mahomes was held out of team drills this week.<\/p>\n

Reid has little expectation for Mahomes\u2019 current timeline; he simply trusts his training staff. He pointed that out during his press conference on Thursday.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t judge it,\u201d Reid said of the recovery timeline. \u201cPeople say, \u2018Is he ahead of schedule?\u2019 Who made the schedule? Everyone\u2019s different\u2026 he and Julie have spent a ton of time working together, she\u2019s tough on him\u2026 and he\u2019s willing to come back. Half the battle is trusting the person who\u2019s doing the rehab with you, then showing up the next day. It doesn\u2019t necessarily feel good, but if you keep coming, it works out okay.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe gauges that, so she knows when to back him down,\u201d Reid added later. \u201cHe\u2019ll stay here and do anything. He misses nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Like any great leader, Mahomes understands the value of listening to and learning from the people close to him. He likened Frymyer, who has been with the franchise since his second NFL season, to his personal trainer and his wife, signaling how much of an impact she has had on his ability to overcome injuries.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve known her for so long, and I trust her so much,\u201c Mahomes said of Frymyer. \u201dIt\u2019s kind of like when I train with Bobby [Stroupe] or even when I\u2019m at home with Britney, they know how to push me whenever I don\u2019t feel like doing the work\u2026 There\u2019s days you come in, you\u2019re tired, I mean you\u2019re sore\u2026 but she\u2019s going to make sure I finish the entire workout and I\u2019m going to do it the right way.<\/p>\n

\"KANSAS<\/a><\/p>\n

KANSAS CITY, MO – MAY 28: Quarterback Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs follows through on a pass during the Kansas City Chiefs OTA\u2019s on May 28, 2026 at the Chiefs Training Facility in Kansas City, MO. (Photo by Scott Winters\/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) Icon Sportswire via Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve got to have someone that\u2019s going to push you like that,\u201d Mahomes continued. \u201cThat\u2019s not scared to push you even when you\u2019re not feeling great. She does that, and she knows when to kind of pull back on some days\u2026 so just having the ultimate trust that she\u2019s going to do that, it lets me just go out there and just work and not have to think about am I doing too much? Am I not doing enough?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c[It\u2019s] definitely a big advantage for me having her in the building.\u201d<\/p>\n

Whether she needs to get him going or slow him down, Frymyer seems to be working overtime to monitor Mahomes\u2019 progress. All reports indicate the two-time MVP is rehabbing around the clock, all day \u2014 unless the Chiefs\u2019 Vice President of Football Communications, Brad Gee, asks him to attend a press conference, at least.<\/p>\n

\u201cUsually, I\u2019d be rehabbing right now,\u201d Mahomes said with a smile. \u201cBrad\u2019s got me in here.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"There is no question about the goal for Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes as he rehabilitates from…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":673621,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[63],"tags":[15977,24782,349,99],"class_list":["post-673620","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nfl","tag-kansas-city-chiefs-news","tag-kansas-city-chiefs-injuries","tag-nfl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/673620","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=673620"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/673620\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/673621"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=673620"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=673620"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=673620"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}