The Kansas City Chiefs have already begun looking toward the 2026 season, and the biggest questions facing the franchise are the rehab and recovery time of quarterback Patrick Mahomes. The quarterback suffered the first truly devastating injury of his career in Week 15, tearing his ACL, setting up an offseason full of rehab. With Mahomes clearly the face of the league, his status moving forward will lead to endless speculation and advice as to how the quarterback should handle the injury and his potential return.
This includes former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III, who offered some less-than-exciting advice for the Chiefs' QB. Griffin is understandably slightly biased, having his career ruined after the injury. Still, in today's league, Griffin's offering the following is surprising.
""The No. 1 advice I would give to Micah Parsons and Patrick Mahomes right now is not to play next year and it's because of when they got hurt. They both got hurt in December You look at these injuries and we've seen guys come back in 6,8, or 9 months. It would be 9 months for both of them if they're ready to go in Week 1. But you don't feel like yourself until about 15 months after the injury. Some guys will tell you it took 24 months." "Robert Griffin III
There is a lot to unpack here, with Griffin strongly advocating for Mahomes to sit out a full season. Ignoring the context of the situation and how often the quarterback will be put in harm's way, Kansas City has a full offseason to build a strong offensive front and put together a rushing attack that allows Mahomes to sit back and play from the pocket. He wouldn't, and shouldn't, be returning to play behind this same group.
Chiefs Quarterback Patrick Mahomes Given Awful Advice on Holding Out in 2026 Season
The Chiefs can set up the roster to take pressure off the quarterback, and that should be one of the primary goals of the front office. This season proved that the franchise already needed to retool after a failed 2025 campaign. This only adds to the case for why Griffin's advice should be ignored, as there are numerous examples of dedicated players making quick returns from the injury and still playing at an incredibly high level.
Joe Burrow tore his ACL during his rookie season and would return the next year in roughly nine months to lead the Bengals to an AFC title and Super Bowl berth. Turning the clock back a bit further, Adrian Peterson suffered the injury on Dec. 12, 2011, and was ready to go the following season with 2,097 rushing yards and double-digit touchdowns.
All major sports are littered with examples of players able to defy expectations when returning from an injury as serious as an ACL tear. This should help lessen concerns from Kansas City fans who are completely focused on the offseason and rehab ahead of their franchise quarterback.
Regarding Mahomes, there shouldn't be any serious concerns that the quarterback will take this advice. The signal caller is chasing greatness and is obsessed with the game to a level that the league has only seen from its legends. This same focus and drive will be used to attack his rehab to get back on the field as soon as possible.