Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has been cleared to fully participate in training camp after knee surgery last year. (AP) — Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has been cleared to participate in the start of training camp, checking off one of the major goals that the two-time MVP set for himself when he underwent surgery late last year to repair torn ligaments in his left knee.Mahomes said Friday he visited earlier this week with Dr. Dan Cooper, the Dallas-based orthopedic surgeon who performed the operation, and that he met all the benchmarks necessary to report to Missouri Western State University on time.The Chiefs begin practice Saturday for rookies, quarterbacks and players coming off injuries.
Full-squad work begins next week.None of those players is more important than Mahomes, who hurt his knee late in a loss to the Chargers in December. He underwent surgery immediately afterward, and rather than spend the offseason at his Texas home like usual, Mahomes toiled away at the Chiefs' practice facility, pushing forward with his rehab so he would be ready to go by the late-July start of camp.“It was always the goal to be able to practice when I got to training camp. We kind of hit that step," Mahomes said.
“Now, it's about building and keep getting better and better, so when the regular season comes around, I can be available.”Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Mahomes was fully cleared — no limitations at all — but that he would evaluate the cornerstone of the franchise on a daily basis. Whether he participates in any of the Chiefs' preseason games remains to be seen.The preseason opener against the Rams is Aug. But the far more important date is Sept.
14, when the Chiefs welcome the AFC West-champion Broncos to Arrowhead Stadium for a marquee Monday night showdown in Week 1.“We'll see about games and all that once we get there,” Reid said, “but right now, we're just taking it day by day.”Mahomes, who signed a lucrative restructured contract in June that will tie him to the Chiefs through the 2033 season, plans to wear a brace on his left knee, much like he did while recovering from an injury in college, in part because it doesn't really bother him.But other than that, he plans to participate in camp just like he has for the past decade.“Like, I'm a competitor,” Mahomes said, “so gameday, I'm going to want to be out there. But I understand the process of getting myself ready to play in the regular season is more important (than the preseason). Mahomes told reporters on Friday that doctors gave him the OK to practice at training camp just two days before arriving in St.
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