It's looking very promising for Mahomes to be ready for Week 1. Here's the full picture:
The recovery is ahead of schedule. Mahomes tore his ACL and LCL in December 2025, but by July 25 he was cleared for training camp practice — a major milestone. He's been rehabbing 6-7 hours daily in Kansas City and has already progressed through 7-on-7 drills, individual work, and the critical "cutting phase" (change-of-direction drills) (from the Patrick Mahomes II page).
Andy Reid is cautious but optimistic. Reid has refused to make a firm Week 1 commitment, but he's also not ruling it out. The team is being methodical about collision risk — specifically avoiding 11-on-11 drills where a player could accidentally swipe Mahomes' legs. As Reid put it, "there's no putting the genie back in the bottle" once he's fully cleared.
Mahomes himself is adamant. He's said multiple times his "goal" is to be ready for Week 1 vs. the Broncos (Sept 14) and that he's giving the doctors and coaches every reason to let him play.
The fallback plan is solid. The Chiefs traded for Justin Fields as insurance, and Andy Reid has called Fields a "legitimate NFL starting quarterback" who could start if needed (from the Justin Fields page).
Expert take: Sal Vetri noted that the reports coming out of OTAs are that Mahomes is "on track to return Week 1 and not be on the PUP list" — and that's only grown more positive since then. .
Bottom line: All signs point to Mahomes starting Week 1. The cautious tone from Reid is standard Andy Reid — he's never going to guarantee anything in July. But the rehab progress, training camp clearance, and Mahomes' own commitment make it a surprise if he's not under center against Denver.