Mahomes has surgery in Dallas, will begin rehab process 'immediately'

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UPDATE, 9:33 p.m. | More context: Patrick Mahomes also tore his LCL, along with his ACL, sources say. While that can complicate recovery, it doesn’t necessary extend his rehab longer than 9 months or so.
This update was filed by NFL Network reporter Ian Rapoport.

UPDATE, 8:50 p.m | The Chiefs posted on social media Monday night that quarterback Patrick Mahomes underwent surgery Monday night to repair the torn ACL in his left knee.

"Mahomes will begin his rehab process immediately," the team posted.

ORIGINAL REPORT | Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is getting a second opinion on his injured knee before undergoing surgery to repair a torn ACL in his left knee.

“Patrick is going to go to Dallas for a second opinion with Dr. (Dan) Cooper,” Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “We’ll just see; we’ll give you updates as we go from there.”

Cooper, an orthopedic surgeon with the Carrell Clinic who serves as the Cowboys’ team physician, is a knee and shoulder specialist who “primarily focuses on minimally invasive arthroscopic and reconstructive surgical techniques,” according to his online bio.

“He’s just got to get through surgery, wherever it might be, and then move on from there,” Reid said. “... I know the process of rehabbing, for sure. He’ll get in there, and I know he’ll come out on the strong end of this thing.”

Mahomes got hurt on the first play after the two-minute warning in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s loss against the Los Angeles Chargers at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.

Flushed from the pocket to the right toward the Chiefs’ sideline, Mahomes threw the ball downfield as Chargers defensive end Da’Shawn Hand closed in and dove.

Hand, a 6-foot-3 and 300-pound veteran, grabbed Mahomes right leg and rolled, while Mahomes’ left leg, which was planted in the grass, appeared to hyperextend and buckle from front to back and also flex to the outside.

The team announced that Mahomes tore his ACL, but it’s unclear if he tore any other ligaments in the knee. Multi-ligament tears tend to involve a longer recovery process.

“He’ll attack it, just like he does anything else,” Reid said. “There have been some pretty good quarterbacks who have had this same injury, and they’ve done pretty well after they came back. So, he’ll get after it and he’s got good people here to rehab him. Again, he’ll be right on top of all of that.”

Still, with a typical recovery timeline of nine months for an ACL tear alone and 12 months for a multi-ligament tear, Mahomes will likely miss the Chiefs’ entire offseason, including training camp.

It might even be optimistic to think Mahomes can be ready for the start of the 2026 season, given the timing of the injury in mid-December.

“You never know on these rehabs how they go,” Reid said. “I just know that he’s got good people that he’ll be working with and I know how aggressive he is on things. As long as the surgery goes well, and as expected, then I would expect a fairly quick recovery for him, just because of those factors.”

Reid said most NFL players who suffer a significant injury like Mahomes did seek a second opinion.

“I’ve had a good visit with him a couple different times,” Reid said. “He’s in a good place. He always feels like he let people down, but then he comes back and he’s ready for the challenge ahead, which is what’s real right now.”

Cooper’s bio says he’s “an internationally known expert in the treatment of complex knee ligament injuries involving injury to the anterior cruciate, posterior cruciate and collateral ligaments.”

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