The Kansas City Chiefs may be pumping the brakes a bit on plans for Patrick Mahomes to return to the field — and drawing some controversy for doing it.
Both the team and Mahomes himself had shared optimism that he would recover from a knee injury in time to take the field for the team’s season opener, but owner Clark Hunt seemed to cool the speculation this week. Mahomes has been going through rehab, but the complicated nature of the injury could stall his timeline.
Clark Hunt Pushes Back on Patrick Mahomes Timeline
In an interview with Front Office Sports this week, Hunt cast doubt on whether Mahomes would be ready to play, saying he believes the team would not be a candidate to face the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks in the league’s opening game as a result.
âI donât think thatâs on the table anymore for us to be in Seattle [for the opener],â Hunt said. âFrom a league standpoint, I think there would be some concern whether our quarterback will be ready to go. My guess is the league wonât want to take that risk.â
Hunt appeared to be walking back the optimism that head coach Andy Reid had shared on Mahomes, saying the quarterback was ahead of schedule for recovery on his torn ACL and LCL.
“Every player is different. I will tell you though, I would never bet against him,” Reid said at the league’s annual meetings this week, via ESPN. “He’s going to put in the time and effort and always push it but within reason, so he doesn’t take steps back.
“So far, it’s all been positive. He’s doing great.”
Mahomes had also raised speculation of his return in March when he shared a video of him throwing, a major step forward in his rehab. But Hunt’s comments casting doubt led to some pushback from fans and reporters who saw it as a heavy-handed message to the NFL.
Clark Hunt Trying to Push NFL?
Hunt’s comments were seen by many as an attempt to dissuade the NFL from scheduling the Chiefs in the season opener, ensuring that Mahomes would be on the field for one of the more challenging games on the team’s schedule.
This led to backlash, with some suggesting he was asking for preferential treatment both for the team and Mahomes.
“NFL scheduling is helping the Chiefs so they donât start the season with a loss,” a fan commented on a post about Hunt’s announcement.
The Chiefs have long faced criticism over what some see as favoritism from the NFL, especially when it comes to the treatment of Mahomes. The Chiefs quarterback even apologized after what many called a flop during a hit on the sidelines in the team’s 2025 playoff win over the Houston Texans.
âI would say the only one I felt like I probably did too much was the one on the sideline where I didnât get the flag,” Mahomes said at the time, via USA Today. “The ref saw it and didnât throw a flag, I understood it immediately and know that I probably shouldnât have done that.”
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Chiefs in Hot Water Over Conflicting Messages on QB Patrick Mahomes appeared first on Heavy Sports.