Mahomes injury inspiration: 5 NFL quarterbacks who came back from ACL tears

The shock of Patrick Mahomes suffering a torn ACL in the Kansas City Chiefs’ 16-13 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, effectively ending their playoff hopes and Mahomes’ 2025 season, has left the NFL reeling.

But history offers plenty of reasons for optimism. ACL tears, once career-ending, are now setbacks many elite quarterbacks have overcome.

Here are five signal-callers whose careers prove that recovery and resurgence are possible – sometimes spectacularly so – giving Mahomes’ rehab a hopeful context.

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Kyler Murray

Kyler Murray’s own ACL tear came in Week 14 of the 2022 season with the Arizona Cardinals, in a non-contact injury that ended his campaign.

After reconstructive surgery and a year of rehab, Murray returned as the Cardinals’ starter in 2023, immediately resuming his dual-threat play. By 2024, he had fully regained his mobility and confidence, rushing for significant yardage and proving that even a dynamic, run-oriented quarterback can bounce back after a major knee injury.

Joe Burrow

(Getty Images)

In his rookie season with the Cincinnati Bengals, Joe Burrow suffered a devastating knee injury in late 2020 that included a torn ACL alongside MCL and PCL damage. Placed on injured reserve and undergoing surgery, there were serious questions about his future.

Instead, Burrow returned for the 2021 season and led Cincinnati to their first Super Bowl appearance, earning a reputation as one of the league’s most resilient quarterbacks. His performance post-ACL showed that not only can quarterbacks return to form, but they can also reach new heights.

Carson Palmer

Veteran signal-caller Carson Palmer dealt with multiple ACL issues during his long career, including a tear in 2014 while leading the Arizona Cardinals to an 8-1 start. Despite the setback, Palmer worked methodically through rehab and returned in 2015 to continue starting at a high level.

He reported being “100 per cent” ahead of Cardinals minicamp and was ultimately productive enough to keep his team competitive, a testament to determination and modern rehabilitation practices.

Geno Smith

Geno Smith’s tale isn’t as well-known, but it’s no less relevant. Early in his career with the New York Jets, Smith tore his ACL in 2016, ending that season. He was placed on injured reserve and had to rebuild his standing in the league.

Years later, after bouncing around and enduring other injuries, Smith revived his career with the Seattle Seahawks and earned a lucrative extension before joining the Las Vegas Raiders.

While no single season defines the entire arc, Smith’s long road back to starting status in the NFL underscores that recovery from a torn ACL can be a turning point rather than an endpoint. 

Tom Brady

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Tom Brady’s ACL tear came in the first quarter of the 2008 season opener, as the Patriots looked to bounce back from a shock Super Bowl loss to the New York Giants.

Missing the rest of the year, Brady returned in 2009 in dominant fashion, throwing for 4,398 yards with 28 touchdowns and 13 interceptions – performances that helped solidify his legacy rather than derail it. Beyond pure statistics, Brady went on to win four more Super Bowls after that injury, embodying the idea that an ACL tear can be a bump in the road, not a career terminus.

Final word

For Mahomes, whose torn ACL represents the first major injury of a Hall-of-Fame trajectory, these stories are more than nostalgia. They are evidence that with elite medical care, disciplined rehab and the right mindset, quarterbacks can and do return to elite form.

While each injury and recovery is unique, the paths trodden by Murray, Burrow, Palmer, Culpepper and especially Brady show that Mahomes’ best days on the field may still lie ahead of him.