Patrick Mahomes: Kansas City Chiefs quarterback begins rehab after knee surgery as Miami Dolphins bench Tua Tagovailoa

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has started rehabilitation following surgery to repair two torn ligaments in his left knee with the team optimistic the two-time MVP could be back by week one of the 2026 season.

Rick Burkholder, the Chiefs' vice-president of sports medicine and performance, said the procedure on Monday went well.

The recovery time for such an injury is about nine months, though it could vary by several months depending on various factors.

Next season is expected to kick off on September 10 and the Chiefs could play their first game a few days later.

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"Every player is different, every sport is different, every position is different," Burkholder said.

"[Mahomes] is so in tune to what he does, he does it a little quicker. Ballpark on this is nine months, but it could be a month or two more, a month or two less."

Last weekend's loss to the Los Angeles Chargers eliminated the Chiefs from postseason contention for the first time in a decade.

They had also won the past nine AFC West titles, reached the previous seven conference championship games and played in the past three Super Bowls.

Now, backup Gardner Minshew will quarterback them through the final three games beginning Sunday.

As for Mahomes, he plans to return to Kansas City by Friday, where he will continue rehabbing with Burkholder's staff.

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"He's so positive right now," Chiefs coach Andy Reid said.

"He attacked this thing the day of. You wouldn't expect anything less. 'Get me up, get me going,' he's basically saying, an hour after the game. 'Brace me up and let me go.'

"It's not one of those injuries, obviously, but that's his mindset.

"I think he'll do great with the rehab. He's a pretty fast healer that way."

Tagovailoa benched by Dolphins

Earlier this week, Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said Miami's quarterback play "was not good enough" and he has now decided to bench Tua Tagovailoa, reports NFL Network.

During Monday night's tame loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Tagovailoa put up just 65 passing yards with an interception and two drive-killing sacks across three quarters.

He also leads the NFL with 15 interceptions in 2025, while his -0.06 expected points added per dropback ranks fourth-worst among quarterbacks with at least 300 pass attempts.

He will be replaced by seventh-round rookie Quinn Ewers for Sunday's week 16 game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Ewers was a three-year starter at Texas, passing for 9,128 yards and 68 touchdowns, with 24 interceptions in 36 games.