Patrick Mahomes’ eagerly anticipated return to the gridiron might face a slight delay, as fans will have to extend their patience a bit longer.
The star quarterback, who underwent surgery last December to mend a torn ACL and LCL in his left knee, is unlikely to make a comeback in the Kansas City Chiefs’ opening preseason matchup. Despite actively participating in all training camp activities, Mahomes may also be absent from the following two games.
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid addressed the media on Friday, hinting at Mahomes’ potential absence. “I mean, there’s a pretty good chance where I don’t play him,” Reid commented.
Reid elaborated, “The percentages are leading that way. I don’t know if I’ll play him in the second or third game. I don’t know that. The percentages probably lean against not doing that.”
Should Mahomes miss all three preseason games, it would be an unprecedented scenario in his impressive nine-year NFL career, marking the first time he would bypass the entire preseason lineup.
It will also come as a surprise to many, after the three-time Super Bowl MVP has looked as healthy as possible throughout training camp, leading the first-team offense in every 11-on-11 period thus far.
Despite a large knee brace around his left leg, Mahomes has shown off his patented scrambling ability this summer, seemingly not losing any improvisation skills with the injury.
Regardless of how much Mahomes plays in the preseason, though, he will have his eyes set for a regular season return in the Chiefs’ opener on Sept. 14 against the Broncos.
“I’m a competitor, so [on] game day, I’m going to want to be out there,” Mahomes said in July.
“But I understand the process of getting myself ready to play in the regular season is more important. We’ll see. The coaches and doctors will make that decision for me, but I’ll prepare myself like I’m going to play.”
In the meantime, Reid and company can use the reps Mahomes would have gotten in the preseason to bring backup quarterback Justin Fields and rookie Garrett Nussmeier up to speed.
Fields, who joined the Chiefs this offseason after a year with the Jets, saw his first reps with the first-team offense on Thursday.
“We’ve got new people behind [Mahomes] that need some work,” Reid said. “The more reps they get, the better.”