Speaking before practice on Wednesday, head coach Kevin Stefanski said that all parties involved—coaches, medical staff and Penix, himself—were all in agreement with their plan moving forward regarding the third-year quarterback.
“I think all of us on the coaching staff, on the medical staff, all of our players—Mike in this case—want to always do what’s best for our players,” he said. “And I feel really, really confident in the plan, going back to when I first got here and how Mike was working off the field and working in the training room—And I think what you’ve seen is a progression of all that.”
Penix explained further details about his surgery that helped clarify his recovery timeline compared to others in the league who injured their ACL last season, such as Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who started in Week 1 after a season-ending knee injury in Week 15.
Specifically, since this is the third procedure Penix has undergone to repair an ACL—his previous two happened in college—the graft had to be done differently.
“Not all injuries are the same,” Penix said. “And just because [Mahomes] had ACL surgery, he didn’t get the same procedure as me. He had his patellar tendons; he was able to use those grafts. I had to use a quad graft because I used both of my patellar tendon grafts. I also got an operation on my lateral side. I got more done to my knee than he got. So, if you look at me after my first ACL surgery in 2018, I was back in six months, but this is my third one. I don’t have the same tendons and stuff to use for this ACL graft. Also, I added that lateral LET graft that I got. So, it’s more than, ‘Oh, Patrick Mahomes tore his ACL and he’s playing, why isn’t Mike?’ It’s two totally different injuries.”
Instead of using tissue from his patellar tendon, Penix’s surgeons used a portion of his quadriceps to make the repair. During training camp, Penix emphasized that he has been healing well and that his doctor told him he had “an amazing ACL.”
But as for when Penix will put his repaired ACL to the test in a live NFL game remains to be seen. Throughout their first offseason working together, both head coach and quarterback have maintained that Penix’s focus is on getting fully healthy. He has passed multiple checkpoints in that recovery, with seemingly only one final hurdle left to clear.
Whether that happens as early as Week 2 or at a future point in the season is unknown, but those involved continue to say Penix is close.
“I’m working each and every day,” Penix said. “And, right now, I’ve got to be where my feet are. Today I felt good in practice. I want to keep making strides, keep feeling better each and every day. And that’s what it’s about. And once my knee feels where I need it to be, I’m going to be ready to play. Like I said, there’s no number on it. No, Week 3, Week 4. Whenever my knee feels good, I’m going to be out there.”
