Patrick Mahomes is rehabbing a torn ACL and LCL in his left knee suffered late in a December 14 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, leaving real questions about when he will be ready to play again.
Mahomes underwent reconstructive surgery in mid-December, a procedure that typically demands months of careful rehabilitation.
That timeline places the opening of the 2026 season in sharp focus, though anyone involved understands the process rarely runs on a straight line. Progress can vary week to week, sometimes day to day.
Inside the Kansas City Chiefs, confidence remains steady. Head coach Andy Reid and the club’s medical staff have expressed belief in how the rehab is unfolding, and Mahomes himself has spoken openly about his aim to be ready for Week 1.
A two-time NFL MVP and three-time Super Bowl champion, Mahomes has defined the franchise’s modern identity, and his health will dictate how aggressively Kansas City can push in the years ahead.
Contract context as the quarterback market evolves
While Mahomes works toward full strength, conversation around him has widened to include the state of the quarterback market. His agent, Leigh Steinberg, offered a pointed view on where NFL salaries are headed.
“We’ll inevitably see a 70 million-dollar quarterback,” Steinberg told Front Office Sports, arguing that league revenues now support compensation levels comparable to those seen in other major sports.
That outlook frames Mahomes‘ own deal in an interesting light. He remains under contract on the 10-year, $450 million extension he signed in 2020, still the largest in total value in NFL history.
Yet the market has shifted around him. In 2025, his $45 million average annual salary ranked 14th among quarterbacks, with Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys setting the pace at $60 million per year.
Despite the gap, Mahomes‘ résumé since signing the deal leaves little room for debate. Two more Super Bowl titles followed, reinforcing his standing among the game’s greats and validating Kansas City‘s long-term commitment. Steinberg, for his part, showed little interest in salary rankings.
“I’m going to let him speak to that,” Steinberg said when asked about where Mahomes fits in the pay hierarchy.
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