Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes ‘ahead of schedule’ in recovery from toe surgery

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ left toe will be one of the more closely monitored injuries around the NFL in the months leading up to the regular season.

But Mahomes on Monday dispelled some concern about his continuing recovery from surgery on the toe, a procedure undertaken shortly after the Chiefs’ loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl LV.

The Chiefs’ signal-caller said he is out of a post-surgery walking boot and offered an optimistic timeline for his progress.

“I think I’m progressing well — I think I’m ahead of schedule, myself,” Mahomes said. “I mean, obviously they’re trying to be cautious and not push me out there too soon, but I’m doing what I can.

“I’ve gotten out of the boot finally — it took forever — but now I’m trying to get back on the field and get that stuff working. So I’m sure they’ll keep me along that same pathway that I can hopefully do some stuff by the end of the offseason.”

The Chiefs officially entered the first phase of their offseason workout program Monday. For the second straight year, it will be completed virtually because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Phase III of the workouts, which includes in-person time on the team’s football fields, won’t begin until organized team activities start on May 25. That’s when the Chiefs will start conducting 10 days of on-field team workouts before holding a mandatory three-day minicamp in mid-June.

If Mahomes is able to get on the field ahead of training camp, he would indeed be slightly ahead of schedule.

He would need medical clearance to return to action, however, and the Chiefs won’t fast-track their star quarterback.

But so far, so good, it seems.

“Pat’s doing tremendous, getting great flexibility in that toe,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid. “He’s worked his tail off. Not a real fun thing to do with that. It seems like a small thing, but that toe is rather large and stiff before the surgery and after the surgery. So he’s really worked hard at getting that right.”

Mahomes isn’t the only Chiefs player returning from surgery.

Linebacker Willie Gay Jr. (knee), cornerback Deandre Baker (leg) and defensive end Taco Charlton (ankle) each underwent surgery in the past few months to address their respective injuries.

As with Mahomes, things are looking up for the trio, their coach said.

“I think they’re actually doing well, making progress,” Reid said. “They’ve been coming back into the building, which helps, where our guys can work with them a bit here. So that has been a positive. I can tell you first-hand that things are getting better.

“I know Pat ends up kind of becomes the primary concern as we go, but they’re all good football players who can help us win football games, which obviously is our goal, our final goal.”