Patrick Mahomes is already looking at Week 1, and the Denver Broncos are the target.
The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback said this week that he wants to be back on the field when the Broncos come to town for Monday Night Football in the opening week of the 2026 season. Mahomes, who tore his ACL in Week 15 last season, made it clear on Yahoo Sports Daily that he’s pushing toward that return even though the final call won’t be his alone.
"That's my goal," Mahomes said of returning Week 1 vs. Denver.
"I've said that since the beginning is being ready to go Week 1. I can't predict the future and I know that it's a long process.
It's not just my decision, but at the same time I'm going to give the doctors and the coaches every single opportunity I can to let me be out there Week 1."
"I don't want to miss that game [against the Broncos] because that's the team that won the division while we were gone, and you want to be out there and ready to go with your teammates. I'll give every single thing I can to be out there Week 1 and hopefully the doctors and the coaches give me the green light and I'm able to go out there with my guys and compete against one of the best teams in the league."
That opener already had the feel of a heavyweight divisional test. The Broncos are headed to Kansas City for a primetime road game, and the matchup carries plenty of AFC West weight before either team has settled into the season.
Mahomes’ comments only sharpen that edge. He wants back for a game against the team that swept the Chiefs in 2025, 2-0, for the first time since 2014. Denver also finished first in the conference, something it hadn’t done since 2015.
Mahomes was healthy for only one of those two games, and he missed the Chiefs’ Week 18 finale against the Mile High. Still, the result was the same for Kansas City: no wins against a division rival that has had its number in recent memory.
So when Week 1 arrives, the Broncos won’t just be dealing with a tough road environment. They may be staring down a quarterback who has made that game his clear priority, and who wants another shot at the team that knocked the Chiefs off the top of the AFC West.
If Denver isn’t ready, the start of the season could get ugly fast.
In Other News...
Broncos Fans Wont All Agree On This Marvin Mims Trade Idea
Marvin Mims Jr. keeps popping up in the kind of trade chatter that tends to split a fan base, because his value to the Broncos is easy to see from more than one angle. He has been one of the leagues most dangerous kick returners and has already earned two Pro Bowl nods in his first three seasons, while also flashing as Denvers most consistent deep threat when the offense has let him stretch the field.
Bleacher Reports Moe Moton floated a scenario in which a late-round 2027 draft pick could come back to Denver for Mims, but the timing makes the conversation more complicated than a simple sell-high debate. Mims is still under contract for 2026 and wont hit unrestricted free agency until after that season, so the Broncos would have to decide whether the return now is worth giving up a player who still has room to matter both on special teams and in the passing game. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos Just Made An Unusual Bet On An Undrafted Linebacker
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Denvers interest says plenty about how it views the linebacker room heading into camp. With the roster needing more reliable depth and special teams help, York has a chance to carve out a role if he can translate that leadership and production into pro-ready play, and the contract the Broncos gave him shows how strongly they wanted to get him in the building. [Read more 🡒]