NFL Says It Doesn’t ‘Know Anything More’ About Patrick Mahomes’ Recovery amid Conspiracy Theories Over Chiefs Schedule
Conspiracy theories that Mahomes was ahead of his rehab plan emerged after the Chiefs were scheduled for two primetime games at the start of the 2026 NFL season
Patrick Mahomes prior to an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills on November 2, 2025.Credit : Kevin Sabitus/Getty
Patrick Mahomes’ return date remains unknown, even to the NFL.
Conspiracy theories started swirling after the Kansas City Chiefs were scheduled to play two primetime games in the first two weeks of the 2026 NFL season, with fans thinking that the league had insider knowledge that the 30-year-old quarterback would be done with his ACL rehab and ready to play by Week 1.
“We didn’t know anything more than anyone else,” said NFL executive Hans Schroeder on Friday, May 15, per the Associated Press.
Patrick Mahomes was injured during the Dec. 14 Kansas City Chiefs match against the Los Angeles Chargers.David Eulitt/Getty
Mahomes, 30, tore his ACL on his left knee as he attempted to secure a touchdown during the Chiefs’ Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, game against the Los Angeles Chargers.
The NFL star underwent surgery soon after and has been rehabbing the injury since then.
While appearing on NFL Network’s The Insiders on Thursday, May 14, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said Mahomes is “doing great right now and that’s kind of how you gotta go about this.”
“People go, ‘Well, he’s ahead of schedule.’ I’m going, ‘who made the schedule? Everybody’s different, let’s just take it day by day, ‘ ” Reid said.
Speaking further about Mahomes, Reid said, “Nobody is spending more time than he is rehabbing.”
Patrick Mahomes during a game on December 14, 2025 in Kansas City, Missouri.Jamie Squire/Getty
“He spends seven hours here going through it, ” said Reid. “He hasn’t missed a day and he wants more, all the things that are Patrick Mahomes. Let’s see where we are at as we go forward as we get a little bit closer to the game.”
The Chiefs’ vice president of sports medicine and performance, Rick Burkholder, previously said that the “ballpark” estimation for Mahomes’ recovery window is roughly “nine months,” which would see him return for Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season.
Follow your favorite athletes on and off the field with PEOPLE’s free sports newsletter — sign up now!
Mahomes confirmed that his goal is to be ready by Week 1 in a video shared to the Kansas City Chiefs’ Instagram account in January.
“… I want to be ready for Week 1. The doctors said I could be, but I can’t predict what happens throughout the process,” he said. “That’s my goal … to play Week 1 and have no restrictions. You want to be out there healthy and give us the best chance to win. I hope to do some things in [Organized Team Activities] and training camp, and be able to do a lot there.”
The Chiefs will kick off their season against the Denver Broncos on Monday, Sept. 14, and the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, Sept. 20.
