kk.As Patrick Mahomes starts the long road back from an ACL injury, his personal trainer breaks the silence with a powerful message that has Chiefs fans buzzing.

Patrick Mahomes’ road back from a torn ACL is already underway, and those closest to the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback are signaling confidence in what comes next. From a pointed social media post by his longtime trainer to cryptic messages from Mahomes himself, the early stages of his recovery have drawn attention as the former MVP works toward a return following a difficult 2025 season.

Patrick Mahomes’ Longtime Trainer Teases His Comeback

Mahomes’ trainer, Bobby Stroupe, took to X, formerly Twitter, to share an old workout photo of the quarterback from May 1, 2021. Alongside the image, Stroupe referenced Mahomes’ past injury history and questioned doubts about his ability to bounce back.

“Remember the last time they said he would never be the same?” Stroupe wrote, adding multiple emojis to the post.

Stroupe previously used the same photo on Instagram with the caption,

“It’s personal.” This time, the message appeared aimed at the broader NFL. The reference pointed back to Mahomes’ toe injury during the 2020 postseason, which required surgery after the season ended. Despite concerns at the time, Mahomes returned and continued his run as one of the league’s top quarterbacks.

That 2020 season ended with a loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl 55. In 2025, Kansas City endured another disappointing finish, going 6–11 and missing the playoffs, with Mahomes suffering a torn ACL in Week 15.

Patrick Mahomes Returns to Social Media After Surgery

Mahomes tore his ACL during the fourth quarter of a game against the Los Angeles Chargers. Backup quarterback Gardner Minshew replaced him but tore his own ACL the following week. Chris Oladokun and Shane Buechele finished the season at quarterback for the Chiefs.

Before the injury, Mahomes averaged 256.2 passing yards per game and threw for 3,587 yards, 22 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. He also rushed for a career-high 422 yards and added five rushing touchdowns.

Despite the setback, Mahomes appeared to hint at his mindset moving forward with a recent Instagram post. On Tuesday, Jan. 5, he shared two contrasting images: one showing him walking off the field with his head down, and another capturing him mid-celebration after a touchdown.

He captioned the post with a single clock emoji, “.” Fans interpreted the message as a signal that his comeback is already in motion, with one commenter writing, “Biggest comeback of all-time, book it!”

Chiefs Coaches and Staff Provide Update on QB1’s Rehab

Andy Reid on Patrick Mahomes’ rehab: “He’s doing great for just being 3 weeks out. He’ll go ahead & most likely stay up here (in KC) rehabbing. He has a lot of trust in (Julie Frymyer). He’s been in there grinding.”

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid provided an update on Mahomes’ recovery on Monday, Jan. 4, via ESPN’s Nate Taylor. Reid praised Mahomes’ approach just weeks after surgery and credited assistant athletic trainer and physical therapist Julie Frymyer for her role.

“He’s doing great for just being three weeks out,” Reid said. “He’ll most likely stay up here rehabbing. He has a lot of trust in Julie Frymyer. He’s been in there grinding.”

Earlier, on Dec. 17, Chiefs vice president of sports medicine and performance Rick Burkholder explained the decision to proceed quickly with surgery and outlined a general recovery timeline.

“Every player is different, every sport is different, every position is different,” Burkholder said. “With him, traditionally, he’s going after it. Ballpark on this thing is nine months. It could be a month or two less, month or two more.”

Burkholder added that an LCL avulsion injury discovered on MRI influenced the timing of the procedure.

“After seeing the MRI, they said everything that he had in this injury was fixable, correctable, and it was fixed on Monday night by Dr. Cooper,” Burkholder said.

According to Burkholder, Mahomes avoided further complications and has already begun rehab in Dallas before returning to Kansas City to continue his recovery under Frymyer’s supervision.

“He’s so regimented at what he does,” Burkholder said. “They don’t heal up any faster, they just get back to performance faster.”