The Kansas City Chiefs are entering the 2026 campaign with a chip on their shoulder. For the first time in the Patrick Mahomes era, the Chiefs not only missed out on the AFC Championship Game, but they didn’t even qualify for the playoffs. Considering the high bar this team has set for itself, last year was wildly disappointing.
Things went from bad to worse for Kansas City when Mahomes suffered a torn ACL late in the season, which put his status for the start of the new campaign in jeopardy. All signs point to Mahomes being ready for Week 1, though, but first, he’s going to have to get through training camp unscathed. With the Chiefs set to kick off training camp in just a few days, Mahomes sent a quick one-emoji message to fans on social media.
Patrick Mahomes is Ready for the Start of Chiefs’ Training Camp
Ever since taking over as the Chiefs’ starting quarterback in 2018, they have been the team that everyone else in the NFL is chasing. Over the past few years, though, Mahomes and Kansas City’s high-powered offense have struggled to keep pace with the expectations it set for itself. Prior to the 2025 campaign, though, K.C. found a way to keep on winning.
Everything changed last year, though, as the Chiefs were going to miss the playoffs, even if Mahomes didn’t suffer his aforementioned injury. Kansas City didn’t do a great job of supporting Mahomes on offense, but even then, his numbers during his 14 games of action were subpar to say the least (315/502, 3,587 YDS, 22 TD, 11 INT).
As if things weren’t already complicated enough, Mahomes now has to return from a serious injury and find a way to get K.C. back to the playoffs. That starts with putting together a good body of work during training camp, and with the team getting ready to start preparing for the upcoming season, Mahomes sent a quick message to fans on social media, as he responded to a video the Chiefs posted on X about their training camp preparations with a single clock emoji.
Chiefs Need a Bounce-Back Season from Patrick Mahomes
GettyKANSAS CITY, MISSOURI – DECEMBER 07: Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs looks on before the game against the Houston Texans at Arrowhead Stadium on December 07, 2025 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images)
Mahomes does more than any other quarterback in the NFL currently to win games for his team, but even he has his limitations. The Chiefs’ front office stripped their offense to the bones because they believed Mahomes could still win games for them, but that proved not to be the case in 2025, which prompted some key upgrades over the offseason.
While the wide receiver room still has holes, the offensive line has been touched up, and the running game should be aided by the addition of Super Bowl LX MVP Kenneth Walker III. Make no mistake, though; the success of the offense in 2026 will come down to what Mahomes can accomplish, and while Kansas City is going to play things safe as he continues to recover from his ACL injury, the spotlight is going to be shining brightly on him during training camp.
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