At the end of June, Athlon Sports said that the three biggest offseason questions for the Kansas City Chiefs are whether Patrick Mahomes is on pace to start in Week 1, how Kenneth Walker III will fit into the Chiefs' offense and how the defense is shaping up. As the Chiefs report for training camp in a few weeks, the first question is still buzzing as the most popular among publications, fans and league experts.
In Week 15 of the 2025 regular season against the Chargers, Mahomes tore his left ACL and LCL during a tackle, ending his season. The quarterback underwent a successful surgery the following day and has been rehabbing with the Chiefs staff since.
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What has the offseason looked like so far for Mahomes?
Fox Sports reported in June that head coach Andy Reid was "optimistic" about Mahomes' return for Week 1, and even as early as training camp. Mahomes participated in the team's offseason program other than the final traditional running test at the end of minicamp. He is still continuing his rehab with the Chiefs staff.
It seems like Mahomes is exceeding any expectations for his recovery. Following minicamp, he signed a two-year contract extension, proving Kansas City's confidence in their QB1. Reid said to the media that they are "taking it day by day," but Mahomes is improving. "It looks like he's going to be able to do some things during camp," Reid said. "He did it out here, so I would presume in 40 days he'll be even better than that."
If Mahomes continues to perform well and stays healthy during training camp, fans can expect to see him out on the field if not in Week 1, at least in the early weeks of the regular season.
If all else fails... Justin Fields.
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Although Mahomes seems to be doing great in the offseason despite his injury, anything could happen in the next few months before the season officially starts. It should also be noted that last season, even before the knee injury, Mahomes did not showcase his best skills. In fact, he had the lowest statistics of his eight seasons as a starting quarterback for Kansas City. In the 14 games before his injury, Mahomes only had a 62.7% completion rate with 3,587 yards. He also threw 11 interceptions and only 22 touchdown passes.
Depending on how training camp goes, if Mahomes performs poorly or is not ready for the regular season by Week 1 against the Denver Broncos, Justin Fields is the backup quarterback. Fields was traded to Kansas City from the New York Jets in March. Despite the Jets having a losing season in 2025, tying for the worst record in the league (3-14), Fields performed well statistically. He had 1,259 yards on a 62.7 completion rate, the same as Mahomes.
The Chiefs report to training camp on July 29, and Mahomes will be a big topic and player to watch this year. Kansas City fans can still have high expectations for Fields if Mahomes doesn't start Week 1 of the regular season.
