Tom Brady has been through this. In his ninth NFL season, he tore his ACL while playing for the New England Patriots.
Patrick Mahomes is there now. He just tore his ACL on Sunday while playing in his ninth NFL season for the Kansas City Chiefs.
The GOAT joined the Let's Go podcast on Monday and shared some advice for Mahomes.
"You've just got to put as much diligence into the rehab process," Brady said. "I always feel like the faster you rehab, the faster you can get back to practicing the sport that you know you love. I think sometimes people will pace themselves. Instead of training mode, they're in rehab mode. I think you got to get through rehab mode as fast as possible, and then you get back to training mode.”
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Brady is 48 now and can look back knowing that he won four Super Bowl rings after his knee injury.
Mahomes, like Brady, has three rings at the time of the injury.
Brady wants Mahomes to remember "other people have gone through it."
And it's something that requires the same commitment as playing, Brady added.
"It's the same commitment that the great professional athletes make to be great at their profession,” Brady said. “When you go through the rehab process, you need that same level of focus and determination. It's a tough rehab. It's one of the toughest rehabs."
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Mahomes already had surgery on Monday. He's ready to try and return as early as possible.
If it takes the low end of nine months, he can get back around Week 2 or 3 of the 2026 NFL season.
Mahomes still has a chance to be this generation's Brady. To do it, he's got to make a comeback that Tom already did.
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