A number of stars are returning from major injuries in 2026, but none bigger than Patrick Mahomes. Last season, Mahomes sustained a torn ACL during the fourth quarter of the Chiefs’ Week 15 loss to the Chargers, a loss that officially sealed the Chiefs missing the playoffs for the first time in the Mahomes era.
There aren’t a ton of apt comparisons for Mahomes. Not many Hall of Fame or future Hall of Fame quarterbacks have torn an ACL during their pro career. Players such as John Elway, Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers sustained torn ACLs in high school—though Elway didn’t have his knee repaired until retirement and Rodgers didn’t have his knee surgically repaired until he was in college.
