The sight of Patrick Mahomes hobbling off the field is something Chiefs Kingdom has seen before, usually followed by a heroic return and a Super Bowl ring. Not this time. If you’re looking for the short answer to is mahomes out for the season, the reality is already in the history books: yes, his 2025 campaign ended on a cold December afternoon against the Los Angeles Chargers.
But it’s January 2026 now. The playoffs are happening without Kansas City for the first time in over a decade, and the conversation has shifted. People aren't just asking about this past season anymore; they’re terrified about the next one.
The Injury That Broke the Streak
It happened with 1:53 left in the fourth quarter on December 14. A standard tackle from behind by Chargers defensive end De’Shawn Hand turned into a nightmare when Mahomes’ left knee buckled. You could hear a pin drop in Arrowhead. Mahomes didn't get up. He was helped to the blue medical tent and then basically carried to the locker room by two staffers.
The diagnosis was about as bad as it gets for a mobile quarterback: a torn ACL and LCL.
This wasn't just a "tweak." It was a season-ending, multi-ligament disaster. It didn't just end the game (a 16-13 loss); it ended the Chiefs' streak of ten consecutive playoff appearances. Honestly, the 2025 season was already a bit of a slog for KC, but this was the definitive "lights out" moment. Gardner Minshew took over the final three games of a 6-11 season, and it went about as well as you’d expect.
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What Mahomes Is Doing Right Now
So, where is he? Since the surgery on December 15, performed in Dallas by Dr. Dan Cooper, Mahomes has been back in Kansas City. He’s not at home on the couch, though. He’s deep in the "grind" phase of rehab.
Andy Reid gave an update just a couple of days ago, on January 12. He said Mahomes is "attacking" the rehab, which is exactly the kind of "Coach Reid-speak" we expect, but the details matter. Mahomes is working closely with Julie Frymyer—the same physical therapist who famously helped him play through that nasty high-ankle sprain during the 2023 Super Bowl run.
"He’s in here at 6 a.m. He’s the last guy out at night," said Rick Burkholder, the team's VP of sports medicine.
The guy is obsessed. But even obsession can't make a ligament regrow in a week.
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The 2026 Return Timeline
The standard recovery for an ACL/LCL combo is nine to twelve months. Because Mahomes had surgery early (mid-December), the math puts his return right around September 2024. That’s cutting it incredibly close for the 2026 season opener on September 10.
- Best Case: He’s under center for Week 1.
- Realistic Case: He starts on the PUP (Physically Unable to Perform) list and misses the first 4-6 games.
- Cautious Case: He listens to people like Robert Griffin III, who recently went on The Dan Patrick Show and told Mahomes to sit out the entire 2026 season to save his career long-term.
Griffin’s point is scary. He says you don't really feel like yourself again until 15 months after an ACL tear. For a guy who relies on "Mahomes Magic"—that scrambling, off-platform, improvisational stuff—having a knee you don't trust is a death sentence for his style of play.
The Chiefs are a Different Team Without Him
When you ask is mahomes out for the season, you’re really asking if the Chiefs are finished. Let’s be real: without #15, the offense is unrecognizable. In the final weeks of the 2025 season, the creative play-calling vanished.
The front office is currently staring at a massive rebuild. Travis Kelce’s future is a giant question mark—some think he might retire rather than play a year with a backup. The team has negative cap space and a glaring hole at wide receiver. They’re basically looking at the 2026 season as a "bridge" year unless Mahomes defies medical science.
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There are even wild trade rumors floating around, which feels like heresy in Missouri, but it shows how much the injury has shaken the foundation of the franchise.
What This Means for You
If you’re a fan or a fantasy manager, here is the ground truth. Mahomes is definitely out for the remainder of the 2025-26 playoffs because the Chiefs didn't make it. He is currently "questionable" for the start of the 2026 regular season.
Don't expect to see him in any preseason games. He might not even be a full participant in training camp this summer. The Chiefs are likely going to hunt for a veteran bridge quarterback—someone like a Russell Wilson or even bringing back a former Chief like Carson Wentz—just in case the rehab stalls.
Actionable Next Steps:
Keep a close eye on the "nine-month" mark, which will be August 2026. If Mahomes isn't taking meaningful snaps in practice by then, he will almost certainly start the season on the sideline. For now, the focus in Kansas City is less about winning games and more about whether their $450 million man will ever be able to scramble to his right again without thinking about his knee.
Expect a lot of "positive" social media clips from his trainer Bobby Stroupe over the next few months, but remember that the real test won't happen until he has to take a hit in a crowded pocket.