Reid Updates Mahomes Situation Day After Season-Ending ACL

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Andy Reid was as optimistic as possible less than 24 hours after watching his franchise quarterback sustain a season-ending ACL injury.

The Chiefs’ head coach said Patrick Mahomes will attack his rehabilitation. It won’t attack him.

“He'll attack it just like he does everything else,” Reid said Monday afternoon. “There’ve been some pretty good quarterbacks that have had the same injuries. They've done pretty well after they came back. So, he'll get after it. He's got good people here to rehab him. And again, he'll be right on top of all that.”

One play after the two-minute warning, attempting to drive the Chiefs for a game-tying or go-ahead score, Mahomes crumpled in pain on the Kansas City sideline. Flushed out of the pocket and rolling to his right, Mahomes got tangled in the grasp of Da’Shawn Hand as the quarterback threw the ball away.

Second opinion

Mahomes on Monday is on his way to Dallas for a second opinion with the Cowboys’ team physician, Dr. Dan Cooper. A world-renowned physician, Cooper also serves as the exclusive U.S. consultant for Real Madrid. In other words, Cooper provides orthopaedic expertise for the most important assets on the world’s two most valuable sports franchises.

Reid said he’s had two quality visits with Mahomes since the injury late in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s loss.

“He's in a good place,” Reid said. “He 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. He's just got to get through surgery, wherever it might be, and then move on from there.”

No further damage

Moving on from there can be difficult if Mahomes sustained more damage to his left knee than a torn ACL. But Reid indicated the message the Chiefs gave after Sunday night’s MRI is the extent of the damage. In other words, tests didn’t appear to reveal torn meniscus or other ligament 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

“Yeah, it's just what they put out there,” Reid said, referring to the Chiefs’ social-media announcements on the injury. “We try not to hide too much. That's not our game. I try to keep it right up front with you, so that's the information that they had. They put it out for you.”

Reid also said the fact that Mahomes is seeking a second opinion isn’t alarming. In 27 years as an NFL head coach, he’s seen plenty of ACL injuries, and plenty of sought second opinions.

“These guys normally do that,” he said. “So on that, most guys get a second opinion. I’d probably put it up as much as probably over 90 percent of the guys do this. That's just part of it. That's what he's doing.”

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