'Beyond anyone I've ever seen': Inside Patrick Mahomes' long road back — SkimNews
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- Patrick Mahomes tore his ACL and LCL on Dec. 14, 2025 against the Chargers when he planted his left foot while scrambling out of the pocket and the knee bowed outward as defensive end Da'Shawn Hand chased him from behind.
- Dr. Dan Cooper, the Dallas Cowboys' head team physician who specializes in knee and shoulder injuries, performed surgery the next morning in Dallas after Mahomes told him, "I'm willing to do whatever it takes."
- The 16-13 loss to the Chargers eliminated Kansas City from the playoffs, ending the Chiefs' postseason streak that had stretched back to 2014.
- Mahomes is expected to start Monday's opener against the Denver Broncos (8:15 p.m. ET on ABC/ESPN), hitting the 273-day window he and the Chiefs set the day of the injury.
- Julie Frymyer, one of the Chiefs' top assistant athletic trainers, oversaw daily rehab sessions of at least seven hours beginning in January and traveled with Mahomes throughout the offseason — a continuity move praised by outside rehab specialist Aaron Borgmann.
- General manager Brett Veach called Mahomes' sacrifice "an example throughout the entire organization," telling ESPN the quarterback "gave up an entire summer" to attack his rehab.
Why it matters: This was the most significant injury of Mahomes' nine-year career, and his ability to hit a self-imposed 273-day return window — while team leadership credits him with setting a tone for the entire building — directly shapes whether Kansas City's championship window stays open around a 30-year-old franchise quarterback.
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