KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Patrick Mahomes was present for the start of the Kansas City Chiefs’ offseason program Monday, another important milestone as the two-time NFL MVP tries to recover from torn knee ligaments in time for the beginning of next season.Mahomes tore the ACL and LCL in his left knee on Dec. 14 in the final minutes of a loss to the Chargers, which effectively eliminated the Chiefs from playoff contention. Mahomes soon had surgery in Dallas with noted orthopedist Dr. Dan Cooper, and the rehabilitation began almost immediately back in Kansas City, where he has been working all offseason.“So he goes to the meetings. He can lift, do all that. Rehab. That’s the phase he’s in right now,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “We’ll just see. Kind of play it by ear. See where he’s at. He’s doing great, but we’ve just got to be smart with this thing.”Mahomes previously told local reporters that “that’s the goal, to play Week 1 and have no restrictions.”The first phase of the voluntary offseason program is limited to strength and conditioning, team meetings and rehab work, and it began Monday for a two-week period. The last few years, the Chiefs have allowed Mahomes to conduct players-only workouts at his home in Texas, but that changed this year since he stayed in Kansas City to work with the Chiefs’ own training staff.Then comes the second phase of the offseason program: three weeks of on-field work at a walk-through pace and with no live …
