When Patrick Mahomes went down with a torn ACL in mid-December, Chiefs Kingdom held its breath. The superstar quarterback—the face of the franchise—faced a long road back. But if you ask those inside the Kansas City organization, that road just got a whole lot shorter.

Chiefs general manager Brett Veach recently joined Sirius XM NFL Radio and delivered the kind of news that gets fans counting down to kickoff: Mahomes is "way ahead of schedule."

This isn't just optimism from the front office. The signs have been building for months. Back in March, Mahomes posted a video of himself throwing—just weeks after surgery. Then head coach Andy Reid revealed the QB should be ready for OTAs. Now, Veach is raising the bar even higher.

"I wouldn't be surprised if he wants to be full go when we start training camp," Veach said, per For The Win.

For those who remember Mahomes' 2019 dislocated knee—where he returned in just three weeks—this latest recovery push feels familiar. Veach noted that same relentless drive is on full display.

"This guy has been in the building every single day," Veach explained. "Even when he goes away for a weekend with his family, he takes one of our trainers with him. The biggest challenge we're going to have is protecting him against himself."

That last line is telling. At this rate, the Chiefs might have to physically hold Mahomes back when training camp opens in St. Joseph, Missouri. But for a team with Super Bowl aspirations, having to slow down your franchise QB is a pretty good problem to have.

Whether Mahomes suits up for Week 1 remains to be seen. But if his recovery pace is any indication, the only thing standing between him and the field might be his own coaching staff.