5 Mahomes Observations From Chiefs’ Head of Sports Medicine

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – By now, most of the 8 billion people on earth know the Chiefs lost Patrick Mahomes to season-ending knee surgery this week.

And as the NFL gears up for its first postseason since 1998 without Mahomes, Tom Brady or Peyton Manning, clearly this isn’t a normal week on the third planet from the sun.

“Yeah, we love having him around,” head coach Andy Reid said Wednesday, addressing his first week without Mahomes in the building, and new starter Gardner Minshew. “Everybody feels for him. At the same time, it’s a crazy business that way. He moves on and Minshew steps up, and now he has an opportunity to play.

“And thank goodness he's here. He's got experience, and the guys trust him. Coaches trust him. But we all love Pat. He's a special kid.”

To address that special kid, the Chiefs on Wednesday made available Rick Burkholder, vice president of sports medicine and performance. Here are five important observations from his ability.

Watch Rick Burkholder discuss below

There was unity on important first steps

Burkholder cleared up any questions whether there was discord between Mahomes and the Chiefs’ medical staff with regard to initial first steps. Mahomes got his MRI immediately after Sunday’s loss across the Arrowhead Stadium parking lot, thanks to the University of Kansas Health System’s capabilities at team headquarters.

Then, all parties agreed that Dr. Dan Cooper in Dallas would handle the second opinion. Cooper examined Mahomes on Monday and operated that night.

tony rom — Sep 8, 2013; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo (9) is escorted off the field with team physician Dan Cooper and training personnel in the second quarter of the game against the New York Giants at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-Imagn Images | Tim Heitman-Imagn Images

The Chiefs knew about the LCL Sunday night

While the team confirmed the ACL tear on Sunday night, the LCL damage didn’t come out until following surgery Monday.

“We wanted to wait until they actually got into the knee,” Burkholder said, “to disclose that it that, to have him examined and everything to make sure that we had all the right nomenclature on that injury.”

Injury Update on QB Patrick Mahomes:

An MRI has confirmed that Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes sustained a torn ACL in his left knee in today’s game. Patrick and the club are currently exploring surgical options.
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) December 15, 2025

Burkholder said the LCL was the reason Mahomes underwent surgery Monday, so soon after the injury. Normally, knee-repair surgeries take place at least 48 hours after the incident. But Burkholder said Cooper moved quickly because he wanted to reattach the avulsion injury in the LCL.

“As Dr. Cooper told us after seeing the MRI,” Burkholder said, “and my doctor saw it, they said everything that he had in this injury was fixable, correctable. And it was fixed on Monday night by Dr. Cooper. He had no artery damage, no nerve damage, no joint-surface damage, no meniscal damage.”

Mahomes will return to Kansas City Friday

Like the quarterback’s football life, his comeback process began in Texas. But the bulk of his rehabilitation will happen in Kansas City. One primary reason is the trust Mahomes has in assistant athletic trainer Julie Frymyer.

Frymyer has overseen the quarterback’s return from his prior NFL setbacks: The dislocated kneecap, as well as toe and ankle injuries.

rick burkholde — Dec 7, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid (left) and head athletic trainer Rick Burkholder against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Cardinals defeated the Chiefs 17-14. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Mahomes began rehabilitation in Dallas first thing Tuesday morning and will continue it through Thursday before returning to Kansas City.

Cooper’s expertise could allow Mahomes to return earlier

Burkholder made clear that all knee injuries are different. However, he said Cooper’s innovations might be a game-changer.

“And I think the bigger and faster these guys are,” he said, “the more you see injuries like this, and so the doctors are better doing it. And certainly we all selected a doctor who's done this surgery in the past, and he did some techniques based on what was there, which are unique to the case.

“So, sometimes you have to use a graft on the lateral collateral ligament. He didn't have to do that because he's got advanced techniques.”

Burkholder said rehabilitation science has advanced, too. And that as well as athletes like Mahomes becoming better at nutrition and recovery, the quarterback’s prognosis really couldn’t be better.

norman-lot — Oct 19, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Omarr Norman-Lott (55) is checked on by a trainer after an injury against the Las Vegas Raiders during the third quarter of the game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Timeline

Burkholder said the ballpark for an ACL injury like this is nine months. Mahomes sustained the injury on Dec. 14, exactly nine months before the start of the 2026 NFL season – the weekend of Sunday, Sept. 13.

“Could be a month or two less, a month or two more,” Burkholder added. “And everybody's designed differently biomechanically, and so you just have to go through it. And then he's got, position-specific things that he needs to do.

“So right now, I'll give you this: Early on in the rehab phase, we're doing a lot to get his muscles fired and get the swelling down. And he's in a protective brace right now so that all that surgery heals.”

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