Jay Glazer: Patrick Mahomes should be back ‘sooner’ than Week 1 ‘by far’

If NFL fans weren’t shocked enough to see Patrick Mahomes say he could return from a Week 15 ACL tear by opening day of the 2026 season, Fox Sports insider Jay Glazer just upped the ante.

Mahomes underwent surgery on Dec. 15 to repair the ACL and LCL in his left knee. Week 1 of the upcoming NFL season begins Sept. 9, though most teams won’t play until Sept. 13. Returning in time for the first game of the season would mark a nine-month turnaround for the Kansas City Chiefs superstar.

But Glazer went a step further this week in an appearance on The Dan Patrick Show, projecting that Mahomes will be on the field sooner “by far” than the season’s kickoff in early September.

“His pain threshold is different, his work ethic is different,” Glazer said. “So at first they were like, ‘Oh, you know, start of the season.’ I would probably hedge on him being [back] sooner than that. By far. Because he just attacks things.”

Glazer also provided some information to illustrate just how aggressive Mahomes has been in his efforts to return to the field.

“The initial reports were kind of on the fringe there, but I want to tell you, Patrick’s different,” Glazer said.

“He got (the surgery) before it swelled up. So that was on a Tuesday. I believe it was either Thursday or Friday that week, he was already in the Chiefs’ training room doing rehab. And he had already got his knee bending at 90 degrees at that point. He’s just different, he heals differently.”

Technically, Mahomes got the surgery Monday, Dec. 15. But as Glazer suggests, the QB was doing physical therapy within the week of his surgery, ahead of schedule right away.

Mahomes has a history of playing through injury. In the 2024 season, he played through a significant high ankle sprain, returning on a short week for the Chiefs’ Christmas Day game. Glazer added that Mahomes played through a dislocated toe in one of his Super Bowl appearances.

While some worried the Chiefs may have to use 2026 as a reset season due to Mahomes’ injury and a roster in need of an overhaul, Glazer suggests it will be business as usual for the two-time NFL MVP this year, with a return likely during preseason or even summer minicamps.