Andy Reid: Patrick Mahomes on track for Chiefs training camp after knee surgery in December

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes made it through the team's offseason program just months after surgery to repair two ligaments in his left knee, and coach Andy Reid is optimistic that the two-time MVP will be ready for training camp next month.

Mahomes was excused Thursday from the traditional running test that Reid uses to wrap up his mandatory minicamps. But even that conditioning test, Reid said, Mahomes "probably could've done it and made it, I'm sure, with will.”

“I love what he did this offseason, the way he attacked the rehab,” Reid said. “He's on course to ... get ready for camp.”

Mahomes, who signed a lucrative contract extension on Wednesday, has been spending the offseason in Kansas City, rather than his home in Texas, so that he can continue rehabbing with the Chiefs staff. That includes Julie Frymyer, their head physical therapist, who has helped Mahomes overcome other injuries throughout his NFL career.

“The healing process has to keep taking place,” Reid said. “He gets periodic checks, but he's been working close with Julie on the rehab part of it. Then he comes out and practices — he does rehab before practice, comes to practice, then goes after practice.”

The spare-no-second schedule is designed to get Mahomes ready to start against the Broncos in Week 1 on Sept. 14.

Being ready for training camp at the end of July would be even better.

“You just kind of take it day by day, I think. 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. So we'll just see where it goes, and you go through peaks and valleys in this thing — in rehabs — where you might plateau for a little bit, and you don't know when those are going to take place. But so far, it's been a pretty steady climb up the hill there.”

Mahomes signed a restructured contract Wednesday, which adds two years to the deal through the 2033 season and pushes the total compensation to $504.75 million, with incentives and escalators that could send the value to $522.25 million.

Mahomes would be 38 in the final year of the contract, meaning he might well finish his career playing in Kansas City.

“Listen, he's done a great job as a professional, and then off the field as a father and husband, so you got the whole package there,” Reid said. “He's a great representative and a heck of a football player.”

In other news, Reid said first-round draft pick Mansoor Delane was held out of the mandatory minicamp because of a relatively minor shoulder injury. The cornerback should be ready for the start of training camp at Missouri Western State University.

Wide receiver Rashee Rice also should be ready for camp after rehabbing a minor knee surgery while serving out a jail sentence.

The procedure to clean debris out of his right knee took place about a week before Rice was ordered to jail for violating the terms of his probation for his role in a car crash that left multiple people injured. The 26-year-old Rice was booked into the Dallas County jail on May 19 — he's been allowed out for supervised rehab work — and he is due to be released Tuesday.

“(Chiefs trainer) Rick (Burkholder) has talked to him more than what I have,” Reid said, “just making sure that everything was set where he could do some rehab with it and still do the time that he needed to take care of. So he's been on top of that, and thank good they're allowing him to do it. They've been great with that.”

Reid said his plan for the six weeks until training camp is to “step away,” but he sidestepped a question on whether “stepping away” involved attending the wedding of Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and pop superstar Taylor Swift next month.

The exact date and location — presumably Madison Square Garden in New York — has been a closely guarded secret.

“Can’t talk about it," Reid said, smiling. "Listen, he’s been here most of the offseason, if not the whole offseason. He’s been around and it’s good to have him. He did the mandatory camp and did a nice job there, so it’s good to have him back in and rolling. He’s very excited. You see no distractions with that and the wedding. If it’s like when I got married, my wife did everything, so I just kind of followed her lead on it, showed up, right? Maybe he’s doing more but he looks like he’s pretty focused in on this job here, too.”

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes participates in a drill during the NFL football team's practice Wednesday, June 3, 2026, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, right, and running back Kenneth Walker participate in a drill during the NFL football team's practice Wednesday, June 3, 2026, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, back, talks with head coach Andy Reid during an NFL football team's practice Wednesday, June 10, 2026, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) watches drills during the NFL football team's practice Tuesday, June 9, 2026, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Samba soccer this wasn't.

Facing pressure to win its first World Cup title since 2002, five-time champion Brazil was outplayed early and needed Vinícius Júnior's 32nd-minute goal to gain a 1-1 draw against Morocco on Saturday in a pulsating, high-profile group match.

“We started on a really bad note,” Vinícius said through a translator. “For certain, we got to hold on to the ball. We have to move better.”

A semifinalist four years ago, Morocco had 12 shots in the first 30 minutes and went ahead on Ismael Saibari's 21st-minute goal, a chip over goalkeeper Alisson Becker.

“The team was a bit anxious at the beginning. Nerves were all over the place,” Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti said through a translator. “A very imbalanced team.”

Brazil evened the score 11 minutes later. Vinícius exchanged passes with Bruno Guimarães on the left flank, took a few touches to cut around Neil El Aynaoui and rifled a right-footed shot past the outstretched arm of Yassine Bounou for his 10th international goal.

“We are satisfied with the draw,” Morocco coach Mohamed Ouahbi said. "We are not euphoric.”

Fans in Brazil's canary yellow dominated the crowd of 80,663 at MetLife Stadium — only about five sections near the south goal had fans in Morocco's red.

Seleção supporters expected the flowing, entertaining play of Pelé’s era and were subdued before Vinícius evened the score with his spectacular angled effort.

Brazil extended its unbeaten streak in World Cup openers to 21, including 17 wins, since a 1934 loss to Spain. No. 6 Brazil and seventh-ranked Morocco are the only top 10 teams to meet in the first round of the expanded 48-nation World Cup tournament.

“We cannot lose heart,” Ancelotti said. “You don’t win a World Cup based on your first match.”

Brazil plays Haiti on Friday in Philadelphia, then closes Group C against Scotland in Miami Gardens, Florida. Morocco faces Scotland in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on Friday, then meets Haiti in Atlanta.

Brazil star Neymar, recovering from a torn right calf, didn’t dress for the game.

One hour before the match, an Uber from Times Square to the stadium, site of next month's final, was $126.95 — up from $83.95 for advance booking for the same time Sunday.

Ancelotti, the Italian who became Brazil's first foreign World Cup coach, wore a three-piece suit with a necktie on a sunny afternoon with a 88-degree Fahrenheit (31-degree Celsius) temperature for the 6 p.m. start.

Morocco went ahead after Lucas Paquetá lost control of a short pass from Roger Ibañez and knocked it off Bilal El Khannouss. It bounced to Noussair Mazraoui, who sent the ball to Brahim Díaz in the center circle.

His through pass split Gabriel Magalhães and Marquinho, and Saibari ran onto the ball at the top of the arc. Alisson was slow to come off his line as Saibari scored his 10th international goal.

Morocco nearly went back ahead in the ninth of 10 minutes of stoppage time. Alisson spilled Aynaoui's long-range shot, which was headed wide, then while on the grass leaned back toward the goal and used his right hand to block Ayoube Amaimouni's follow-up effort.

“We still have to improve,” Morocco captain Achraf Hakimi said. “We have to keep the positive things. We’re going to learn from the mistakes, for sure.”

AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup

Brazil's fans sing while watching the FIFA World Cup Group C match between Brazil and Morocco during a public watch party in Central Park, Saturday, June 13, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)

Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou (1) punches the ball away from Brazil's Gabriel Magalhaes (3) as Morocco's Ayyoub Bouaddi (6), Chadi Riad (18) and Issa Diop get in on the play during the World Cup Group C soccer match in East Rutherford, N.J., near New York, Saturday, June 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Brazil's Vinicius Junior (7) celebrates a goal iduring the World Cup Group C soccer match between Brazil and Morocco in East Rutherford, N.J., near New York, Saturday, June 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Brazil's Douglas Santos, left, challenges Morocco's Achraf Hakimi during the World Cup Group C soccer match between Brazil and Morocco in East Rutherford, N.J., near New York, Saturday, June 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti reacts during the World Cup Group C soccer match between Brazil and Morocco in East Rutherford, N.J., near New York, Saturday, June 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

Morocco's Ismael Saibari celebrates scoring his side's opening goal against Brazil during the World Cup Group C soccer match in East Rutherford, N.J., near New York, Saturday, June 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Morocco's Ismael Saibari celebrates scoring his side's opening goal against Brazil during the World Cup Group C soccer match in East Rutherford, N.J., near New York, Saturday, June 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Brazil's Vinicius Junior (7) celebrates a goal in the first half during the World Cup Group C soccer match between Brazil and Morocco in East Rutherford, N.J., near New York, Saturday, June 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Brazil's Vinicius Junior (7) reacts after being tripped in the first half during the World Cup Group C soccer match between Brazil and Morocco in East Rutherford, N.J., near New York, Saturday, June 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)