Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes begins rehab after knee surgery with eye on Week 1 return in 2026

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has begun rehab following surgery to repair two torn ligaments in his left knee, and the team is optimistic the two-time MVP could be back early next season — perhaps even by the time Kansas City plays Week 1.

Rick Burkholder, their vice president of sports medicine and performance, said Wednesday the procedure performed in Dallas by Dr. Dan Cooper on Monday night went well. The operation happened about 24 hours after Mahomes tore his ACL and LCL in a loss to the Chargers.

The recovery time for such an injury is about ninth months, though it could vary by several months depending on various factors. Next season is expected to kick off on September 10, 2026, and the Chiefs could play their first game a few days later.

“Every player is different. Every sport is different. Every position is different,” Burkholder said. “(Mahomes) is so in tune to what he does, he does it a little quicker. Ballpark on this is nine months, but it could be a month or two more, a month or two less.”

The loss to the Chargers eliminated the Chiefs from postseason contention, ending that streak at a decade. They had also won the past nine AFC West titles, reached the previous seven conference championship games and played in the past three Super Bowls.

Now, backup Gardner Minshew will quarterback them through the final three games beginning Sunday at Tennessee.

“Quick turnaround from a very emotional game, and obviously the situation with Pat, the situation with our team's playoff picture,” he said. “But you know what? You are where you're at. We have to turn this around and get a win this weekend.”

The Chiefs could be missing several big names beyond their star quarterback.

Rashee Rice and fellow wide receiver Tyquan Thornton are in the concussion protocol after taking vicious hits in the game against Los Angeles, while left tackle Jaylon Moore remains out with a knee injury and right tackle Jawaan Taylor is out with an elbow issue.

On defense, cornerback Trent McDuffie is still dealing with a knee injury and linebacker Leo Chenal with a shoulder problem.

None of those players practiced Wednesday.

“We'll see how they roll timewise for the game,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said.

As for Mahomes, he plans to return to Kansas City by Friday, where he will continue rehabbing with Burkholder's staff. Leading the effort will be Julie Frymyer, his assistant trainer and top physical therapist, whose name made headlines during the 2022-23 playoffs for her role in helping Mahomes overcome a severe high-ankle sprain without having to miss a game.

Frymyer was even featured alongside Mahomes recently in a State Farm insurance commercial.

“I think you guys know, as a player, his mindset is a little different than most,” Burkholder said. “He's so regimented in what he does. He's in here at 6 a.m. He's the last guy out at night. He'll take the rehab like that. When you add up all the little things, that allows the player to get back faster. They don't heal up faster, they just get back to performance faster.”

Reid said he's spoken daily with Mahomes since the injury in the closing minutes of Sunday's game.

“He's so positive right now,” Reid said. “Like Rick said, he attacked this thing the day of. You wouldn't expect anything less. ‘Get me up, get me going,’ he's basically saying, an hour after the game. ‘Brace me up and let me go.’ It's not one of those injuries, obviously, but that's his mindset. I think he'll do great with the rehab. He's a pretty fast healer that way. And his attitude is 90% of things, how you go about it. How you're willing to push through the pain to get right.”

Minshew acknowledged a strange feeling walking through the team facility without Mahomes this week. But the two QBs have been in touch, and the veteran of 46 starts across seven NFL seasons is looking forward to Mahomes' input the rest of the way.

“He's been great, man. Soon as he's been figuring things out, he's been texting the QB room,” Minshew said. “Very positive. Trying to get us fired up. That dude still wants us to win. That's what he cares about.”

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Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Gardner Minshew drops back to pass during the second half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Gardner Minshew speaks during a news conference following an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) is injured after being tackled by Los Angeles Chargers defensive tackle Da'Shawn Hand (91) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025 in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)

FILE - Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers players take a knee after Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) was injured during an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Peter Aiken, File)

FILE - Rick Burkholder, Chiefs Vice President of Sports Medicine and Performance, talks to Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, on ground, after Mahomes was injured during the second half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025 in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann, File)

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli troops fired a mortar shell over the ceasefire line into a Palestinian residential area in the Gaza Strip, in the latest incident to rock the tenuous ceasefire with Hamas. Health officials said at least 10 people were wounded, and the army said it was investigating.

The military said the mortar was fired during an operation in the area of the “Yellow Line,” which was drawn in the ceasefire agreement and divides the Israeli-held majority of Gaza from the rest of the territory.

The military did not say what troops were doing or whether they had crossed the line. It said the mortar had veered from its intended target, which it did not specify.

Fadel Naeem, director of Al-Ahli Hospital, said the hospital received 10 people wounded in the strike on central Gaza City, some critically.

It was not the first time since the ceasefire took effect on Oct. 10 that Israeli fire has caused Palestinian casualties outside the Yellow Line. Palestinian health officials have reported over 370 deaths from Israeli fire since the truce.

Israel has said it has opened fire in response to Hamas violations, and says most of those killed have been Hamas militants. But an Israeli military official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with military protocol, said the army is aware of a number of incidents where civilians were killed, including young children and a family traveling in a van.

Palestinians say civilians have been killed in some cases because the line is poorly marked. Israeli troops have been laying down yellow blocks to delineate it, but in some areas the blocks have not yet been placed.

The Israel-Hamas ceasefire is struggling to reach its next phase, with both sides accusing each other of violations. The first phase involved the exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners. The second is supposed to involve the deployment of an international stabilization force, a technocratic governing body for Gaza, the disarmament of Hamas and further Israeli troop withdrawals from the territory.

The remains of one hostage, Ran Gvili, are still in Gaza, and the militants appear to be struggling to find it. Israel is demanding the return of Gvili's remains before moving to the second phase.

Hamas is calling for more international pressure on Israel to open key border crossings, cease deadly strikes and allow more aid into the strip. Recently released Israeli military figures suggest it hasn’t met the ceasefire stipulation of allowing 600 trucks of aid into Gaza a day, though Israel disputes that finding.

Humanitarian groups say the lack of aid has had harsh effects on most of Gaza’s residents. Food remains scarce as the territory struggles to bounce back from famine, which affected parts of Gaza during the war.

The vast majority of Gaza’s 2 million people have been displaced. Most live in vast tent camps or among the shells of damaged buildings.

The initial Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel killed around 1,200 people and took 251 hostages. Almost all hostages or their remains have been returned in ceasefires or other deals.

Israel’s two-year campaign in Gaza has killed more than 70,660 Palestinians, roughly half of them women and children, according to the territory’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between militants and civilians in its count. The ministry, which operates under the Hamas-run government, is staffed by medical professionals and maintains detailed records viewed as generally reliable by the international community.

Find more of AP’s Israel-Hamas coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

Palestinian children walk past mud puddle after heavy rains in a makeshift camp for displaced people in Zawaida, central Gaza Strip, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Palestinians walk along a street past a tent camp, backdropped by buildings destroyed during Israeli air and ground operations in Gaza City, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Palestinian women struggle to receive donated food at a community kitchen in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)