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Patrick Mahomes ACL tear: Robert Griffin III calls for Chiefs QB to sit out 2026 season

Meby: Nick Geddes12/16/25NickGeddesNews

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes underwent successful surgery Monday to repair a tear in his left ACL. The surgery was performed by Dr. Dan Cooper in Dallas and Mahomes is expected to begin his rehab process immediately.

The typical recovery for an injury of this magnitude is nine to 12 months. The 2026 regular season opener almost exactly nine months away, Sept. 10. Mahomes will certainly miss the team’s offseason program but could possibly be ready for Week 1. Robert Griffin III, however, is urging Mahomes to take as much time as he needs to recover. Griffin believes Mahomes should sit out the entirety of the 2026 season.

“There are a lot of people out there that are begging and hoping for this to be the end of a dynasty, the end of Chiefs Kingdom as we know it — the same thought that people had when Tom Brady tore his ACL. So, is all hope lost for Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs because he tore his ACL? I would say no, but I do think some changes need to be made,” Griffin said on his Outta Pocket podcast. “The No. 1 change is not coming back too soon from injury. I believe that Patrick Mahomes should sit out the entire next season because of when his injury happened.

“It happened in December which means when September comes around next year, that’ll be nine months since he probably had surgery to repair his ACL. Most ACL injuries take nine to 12 months to heal but anyone will tell you it’s usually 12 to 15 until you actually feel like yourself and normal again.”

Patrick Mahomes beginning rehab process ‘immediately’

Mahomes suffered the injury in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s 16-13 Week 15 home defeat to the Los Angeles Chargers. Mahomes, who was helped to the locker room by the team’s training staff, shared a message on social media.

“Don’t know why this had to happen. And not going to lie it hurts,” Mahomes wrote on X. “But all we can do now is Trust in God and attack every single day over and over again. Thank you Chiefs kingdom for always supporting me and for everyone who has reached out and sent prayers. I Will be back stronger than ever.”

It’s hard to imagine Mahomes, in the prime of his career, sitting out an entire season even as he recovers from a serious injury. The 2025 season was a disappointment for Mahomes and the Chiefs, so you know he’s motivated to get back on the field next season.

“Sources are telling me that Patrick Mahomes is already prepared to be ready to go Game 1 of 2026. I wouldn’t put that past him,” Griffin said. “He’s got a phenomenal team that works with him, I would just really urge them not to push the envelope too much and have him come back too soon.”