Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes will not need knee surgery, Andy Reid says
From the moment Patrick Mahomes shooed away a cart in Denver to the moment he propped to his feet and walked to the locker room without assistance to the moment medical tests indicated he escaped serious injury, a best-case scenario unfolded for an NFL franchise quarterback, and eventually the franchise itself.
It continues.
Mahomes will avoid surgery on the dislocated kneecap he suffered during a game in Denver, Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Tuesday during the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. Mahomes missed two weeks with the injury, which occurred in October at Denver.
“He’s fine,” Reid said before later adding, “I think our doctors did a great job with that — (head athletic trainer) Rick (Burkholder), his whole crew, handled that the right way. I think that was important.”
In most cases of dislocated kneecaps, according to doctors who spoke to The Star this season, high-performing athletes can put off surgery initially but later opt to repair the medial medial patellofemoral ligament (MPFL) with an operation.
The structure of Mahomes’ right knee, however, is sound, according to tests conducted after the Super Bowl. He has already begun training this offseason, reuniting once again to Bobby Stroupe, his childhood trainer who owns the APEC gym in Fort Worth.
Upon the kneecap’s dislocation, Mahomes remained stationary, as teammates and even the Chiefs’ owner feared his season would be done. But immediate tests inside the locker room in Denver showed no further significant ligament damage. Within a week, he had returned to practice. Within two more, he returned to games. Within months, he hoisted the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
And now he marches on — progressing to an offseason workout program the same month he was named the Super Bowl LIV most valuable player. He opts for limited time off.
Recently, he was throwing footballs to wide receiver Dez Bryant, who is trying to work his way back into the NFL.
“Pat handled it the right way,” Reid said. “Pat had the right mentality. He didn’t miss a practice — because he didn’t want to miss a practice. We were the bad guys, pushing him down.”
Other notes from Reid’s media availability Tuesday:
• Chiefs safety Juan Thornhill, whose rookie year was cut short by a torn ACL in the season finale, is progressing on schedule in his rehab. Asked about Thornhill’s availability moving forward, Reid said, “I watched him at the parade, and it looked like his knee was doing pretty good. He got off the bus and was running around. He’s making good progress. I know he’s fired up to get back. I wouldn’t expect any drop off. He’s a hard worker. He’ll be fine.”
• Reid expects wide receiver Mecole Hardman to be ready for a starting role in his second season. And given the uncertainty with how the Chiefs will approach the situation with Sammy Watkins — he is due $21 million next year but could be released for $14 million in savings against the cap — Hardman might need to be ready.
“Mecole really did a nice job for us — got better every week, I felt,” Reid said. “We look at him as a starter. That’s how we look at it. We just had a lot of receivers. It felt like in a three-receiver formation or personnel group, he would be considered as a starter for us. And then we had situational things for him. I feel very comfortable with him. I know he’s going to continue to grow. I mean he’s a real smart kid and likes to play the game.”
• On the other hand, Reid said Watkins, who made a comment before the Super Bowl alluding to potential early retirement, is “in a good place. I’m not sure exactly what he meant by that, but I have talked to him, and he’s in a great place.”
This story was originally published February 25, 2020 at 2:22 PM.