Brett Veach: Patrick Mahomes is "way ahead of schedule"

Over the weekend, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid noted that quarterback Patrick Mahomes will likely be able to participate in OTAs in some capacity, despite tearing his ACL in December.

Kansas City General Manager Brett Veach also spoke over the weekend, noting just how much progress Mahomes has made in his recovery.

“I will say this, I think it wouldn’t surprise you guys, the way it’s been really inspiring to just see — in my mind, I’ve been there before with Pat, he had that dislocated knee [in 2019] and worked his tail off, and came back in three weeks. I knew this bump in the road wouldn’t slow him down at all,” Veach said in an interview with SiriusXM NFL Radio. “But, I mean, this guy has been in the building — especially for a player who has accomplished everything, can do anything he wants, he can hire his own trainers, he can be wherever he wants. He’s in our building every single day. And even when he goes away for a few days, say to Dallas for a weekend with his family, he takes one of our trainers with him.

“So, needless to say, he’s way ahead of schedule. I think the biggest challenge we’re going to have is protecting him against himself, because I’m sure when we get to St. Joseph, Missouri, for training camp, he’s going to want to be full go. But we’re going to have to hold him back a little. And, again, I don’t want to put a timetable on it. But I think you guys know the kind of person and competitor Pat is, and I would just say, we’re in a really good place right now.”

Reid had also noted that the Chiefs were thinking about Mahomes’ participation in the offseason work, effectively in case the team wanted to hold him back and put him on the physically unable to perform list to begin training camp. But with the way Veach described Mahomes’ progress in his rehab, it seems the quarterback will do everything he can to be on the field as a full participant in late July.