In 2008, Tom Brady suffered a torn ACL in the first game of his ninth NFL season and eighth start. On Sunday, Patrick Mahomes, in his ninth NFL season and eighth as a starter, suffered the same injury.
Appears on SiriusXM let’s go! podcastBrady gave Mahomes some advice.
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“The only thing you can do is focus on what’s ahead and not look back,” Brady told host Jim Gray. “And then say, ‘OK, this is part of my career.'” A lot of people go through it, a lot of people have overcome it. You just have to put as much effort into your recovery process as possible. I always feel that the quicker you recover, the quicker you can get back to practicing the sport you love. I think sometimes people pace themselves. They are not in training mode, they are in recovery mode. I think you have to get through rehab mode as quickly as possible and then get back into training mode. But it requires an all-out commitment, the same commitment that great professional athletes make to excel in their profession. When you go through the recovery process, you need the same level of focus and determination. “
Still, Brady said it won’t be easy.
“It’s been a tough rehab,” Brady said. “It was one of the toughest rehabs. I just remember pushing myself every day. The pain and discomfort is always the same, except you make progress in overcoming it, which is a hard mental thing to overcome. You feel like, God, every day, something doesn’t feel right. Other than you’re gaining range of motion, you’re gaining strength, you’re on the road to recovery. So I wish him the best.”
The difference between Brady and Mahomes is that Brady is a pocket passer. Mahomes relies on mobility, agility and changes of direction. Mahomes’ new ACL will be under more natural stress. This may require him to change his playing style until the knee is fully healed.
Additionally, Brady (whose recovery included an infection) has a full year to prepare to play again. Mahomes has less than nine months until the start of the 2026 season.