Overview
- Patrick Mahomes tore his ACL and LCL on December 14, 2025, had surgery and is progressing, but reports still frame his Week 1 availability as uncertain.
- If Mahomes is not ready for the opener, Justin Fields would become the first quarterback to start Week 1 for four different teams in four straight seasons, according to ESPN’s Rich Cimini.
- Fields was traded from the Jets to the Chiefs for a 2027 sixth-round pick, with New York absorbing most of his 2026 guarantee; Cimini reports the Jets are paying roughly $8 million for Fields as Kansas City’s backup and carrying significant dead charges tied to Fields and Aaron Rodgers.
- Andy Reid has said Mahomes has been a constant presence at the facility attacking rehab, and reporting suggests he is ahead of a typical 9–12 month recovery timeline.
- Fields opened Week 1 for the Bears in 2023, the Steelers in 2024, and the Jets in 2025, setting up the rare opportunity to extend that streak in Kansas City if called upon.