Patrick Mahomes Posts Cryptic Photos of Him Walking Off the Field After the Chiefs' Season Comes to Disappointing End

NEED TO KNOW

• Patrick Mahomes uploaded two cryptic photos to his Instagram on Jan. 6

• The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback got an early end to his season after he tore his ACL on Dec. 14

• The Chiefs missed the playoffs for the first time in a decade, finishing with a 6-11 record

Patrick Mahomes seems to think it's time for a comeback.

The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback, 30, shared two cryptic photos of himself on Instagram Tuesday, Jan. 5, with seemingly underlying messages about his possible return to the field after tearing his ACL in December.

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The first photo shared by Mahomes showed the quarterback walking off the field with his helmeted head hanging low in his Chiefs jersey.

The second photo sees the three-time Super Bowl champion jumping high in the end zone with a football in hand to score a touch down with the amped-up Chiefs Kingdom erupting with excitement in the background.

The contrast between slides could be Mahomes' way of hinting at his eventual comeback, as the photos go from him seemingly in defeat to one of him in celebration.

"⏰," Mahomes simply captioned the post.

The NFL star frequently uses a clock emoji to caption his posts, but fans in the comment section seem to think the ticking time symbol has deeper meaning.

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"Biggest comeback of all-time, book it!," wrote one user.

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"Can't wait to have the 🐐 back next season ❤️," penned another, using the goat emoji in reference to the acronym G.O.A.T (meaning, "Greatest of All Time").

The star QB's wife, Brittany Mahomes, also commented. She simply left three red heart emojis, and reposted the carousel on her own Instagram Stories.

"My guy," she added as text overlay, with another red heart emoji.

Mahomes tore his ACL in the fourth quarter of the Chiefs' game against the Los Angeles Chargers on Dec. 14, as he attempted to lead his team to a comeback victory and keep their playoff hopes alive. He was out the rest of the game, and ultimately, ruled out the rest of the season due to his injury.

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The next day, Mahomes went to Dallas for surgery on his left knee to repair the two torn ligaments (his ACL and his LCL) in his leg. The medical procedure was a success, and he's since been rehabbing back in Kansas City.

The Chiefs' vice president of sports medicine and performance, Rick Burkholder, told reporters three days after Mahomes' injury that the “ballpark” estimation for the QB's recovery is roughly “nine months,” meaning the three-time Super Bowl MVP is aiming to return for Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season.

"Every player is different. Every sport is different. Every position is different," Burkholder said, according to ESPN, adding that Mahomes “is so in tune to what he does, he does it a little quicker.”

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