Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has revealed he turned to NFL legend Tom Brady for guidance during his recovery from a torn ACL, drawing on Brady’s own comeback from a serious knee injury as he works his way back for the 2026 season.
Patrick Mahomes has revealed he consulted Tom Brady while recovering from an ACL injury suffered in December, turning to the former NFL quarterback for advice after learning Brady had faced a “very similar injury” during his own career. Speaking to reporters on Friday, the Chiefs quarterback said he also sought guidance from Tyrann Mathieu and Zach Ertz, both of whom have previously dealt with ACL injuries of their own. Mahomes has since been cleared to practise roughly seven months after sustaining the injury during Week 15 of last season against the Los Angeles Chargers.
The extent of the injury
Mahomes’s knee damage was more extensive than an isolated ACL tear, with the quarterback also suffering a torn LCL at the same time. Despite the severity of the injury, he has now been fully cleared to take part in the Chiefs’ training camp, with head coach Andy Reid confirming Mahomes will participate in all practice periods, though the team plans to continue closely monitoring his workload. Mahomes said he intends to play in at least one preseason game before the regular season begins, in order to regain full match fitness following his lengthy rehabilitation. He is expected to wear a knee brace throughout training camp, with hopes of phasing it out as his recovery progresses further.
Learning from Brady’s own recovery
Brady tore both his ACL and MCL in his left knee back in 2008, before returning the following season to lead the Patriots into the playoffs. He went on to win the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award in 2009, a result Mahomes said gave him real confidence that a strong return from serious knee surgery was possible.
Reflecting on the value of speaking with players who had been through similar recoveries, Mahomes said: “It’s just talking to guys that have been through this process and just saying how you have to stay on top of it. It’s a long process. I remember sitting on the table and watching us play those last few games and how much it hurt me, but I knew that if I continued to work, I could be at this spot where I get cleared for practice. Now I’m just trying to get to that spot where I’m cleared to play in the regular season on that first week.”
Rehabbing alongside Zach Ertz
Ertz suffered his own ACL injury just a week before Mahomes last season, and the two players ended up rehabbing in parallel, turning parts of their recovery into a friendly competition. “It would start off as how much deadlift — what you’re deadlifting, where you’re at — and then [we would] send little videos,” Mahomes explained. “He’s jumping and doing certain acceleration things, and I’m sending him next week doing cutting and stuff like that.” Mahomes said having Ertz to compete against helped keep him motivated throughout what he described as an often “lonely” recovery process.
Looking ahead to the new season
Mahomes will be eager to bounce back after the Chiefs endured a difficult 2025 season, finishing 6-11 and missing the playoffs for the first time since 2014. Kansas City started the campaign strongly at 5-3, before collapsing to just 1-8 over their remaining games as Mahomes watched the closing stretch from the sidelines following his injury.
He will have the chance to build up his fitness gradually through training camp and the preseason ahead of the Chiefs’ Week 1 opener against the Denver Broncos on 14 September. Andy Reid has said the team will continue to assess Mahomes’s recovery “day by day,” though there remains optimism within the organisation that he will be ready to start the season opener.
