NFL schedule maker denies having insider info on Patrick Mahomes’ recovery
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Hans Schroeder said the league knew no more than anyone else about Mahomes’ recovery.
- The Chiefs will play six prime-time games, including the season opener vs. the Broncos.
- Andy Reid said Mahomes is rehabbing hard and that progress should be taken day by day.
The NFL does not, in fact, know more about the recovery time for Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes than anyone else.
After the 2026 NFL schedule was released, there was speculation in some circles (OK, on social media), that the league had inside information on how Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was progressing from knee surgery last December.
“We didn’t know anything more than anyone else,” NFL executive Hans Schroeder said, per the Associated Press.
The Chiefs will play six prime-time games in the upcoming season, including the season opener against the Broncos at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium and a Week 2 matchup against the Colts. That’s also at home.
Why put the Chiefs on prime-time if Mahomes isn’t ready?
Well, it’s less about the timetable for the return of Mahomes, who tore two ligaments in his knee last season, than the TV ratings for Chiefs games. KC was 6-11 a year ago, ending a streak of seven straight AFC Championship Game appearances. They also won three Lombardi trophies and advanced to the Super Bowl five times.
Of the five most-watched NFL games last season, four involved the Chiefs.
“The Chiefs are an incredible story,” Schroeder said. “They’re one of the most popular teams in the league right now. They’ve been on an incredibly successful run for a number of years now, and have built a hugely popular fan base. We went into the year planning to play the Chiefs in the same number of windows. We didn’t know anything more than then you did, but we’re certainly hoping Patrick would be back Week 1. ... We felt really good about it and certainly feel better after seeing Andy’s comments this morning with how Patrick’s rehab’s going.”
Schroeder made his comments Friday, hours after Chiefs coach Andy Reid was on “The Rich Eisen Show” and pumped the brakes on Mahomes being absolutely ready for Week 1.
“He’s doing great right now, and that’s kind of how you gotta go about this,” Reid said, per ESPN. “People go, ‘Well, he’s ahead of schedule.’ Who made the schedule? Everybody’s different. Let’s just take it day by day. Nobody is spending more time than he is rehabbing.”
This story was originally published May 18, 2026 at 9:08 AM.
