Patrick Mahomes Says His Injury Could Affect Him the Rest of His Career

All is not well with a superstar at Kansas City Chiefs camp.

And no, this has nothing to do with the relationship of newlyweds Taylor Swift and Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.

Though that honeymoon is technically over …

Instead, this is about the health status of arguably the NFL’s best player at its most important position, quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

Last season, the 30-year-old signal caller tore his ACL and LCL in a mid-December game resulting in season-ending surgery. He’s been fully cleared to participate in practices now that Kansas City training camp is underway, but the knee injury figures to linger for some time.

“The process isn’t over. It’ll be something I’ll probably be dealing with the next few years of my career and throughout the rest of my career,” Mahomes said, per ESPN. “But I feel comfortable now being able to go out there and run the offense the way the offense is supposed to be run.”

No team wants to hear their franchise quarterback admit that an injury is likely to affect them throughout the rest of their career. But if anyone can hurdle the inevitable roadblocks ahead, it’s Mahomes. He’s won three Super Bowls and appeared in two others, garnered three Super Bowl MVPs, a pair of league MVP awards and has been named All-Pro three times. He’s accomplished all this in just nine pro seasons.

Because of his injury and uncertainty surrounding his recovery, Kansas City quickly traded for former Bears, Jets and Steelers quarterback Justin Fields to back up Mahomes and possibly even start the beginning of the season. Fields is a capable fill-in should Mahomes require more time to fully recover. He’s thrown for 52 scores and rushed for 23 more in his five-year career.

Despite the insurance of having Fields, bettors on Polymarket don’t foresee Mahomes sitting out Week One. Mahomes is being traded at 87% to start the opener for K.C., and Fields is not registering any action among bettors.

Based on his credentials alone, it would seem wise to bet on Mahomes being under center for Kansas City’s opener when they host AFC West rival Denver in the first Monday Night Football game of the 2025-26 season on September 14.

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