Brady offers advice to Mahomes after ACL tear: 'One of the toughest rehabs'

Tom Brady spoke about the rehab process for a torn ACL, offering advice and recovery insights to Patrick Mahomes after the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback sustained a major knee injury Sunday.

Mahomes, who's in his ninth NFL season, tore his ACL during a loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, a defeat that eliminated the Chiefs from playoff contention. Brady also sustained a torn ACL in Year 9 during the 2008 season, although the then-New England Patriots passer went down in the first game of that campaign.

"It's a tough rehab. It's one of the toughest rehabs," Brady said on an episode of the "Let's Go!" podcast published Tuesday, according to NFL.com's Kevin Patra. "I just remember every day pushing myself. And it's always the same amount of pain and discomfort, except you're making progress through that pain and discomfort, which is a hard psychological thing to battle. You feel like, God, every day, it doesn't feel right. Except you're gaining range of motion and you're gaining strength and you are on the road to recovery. So, I wish him the very best."

The Chiefs announced Monday that Mahomes underwent surgery on his left knee. Head coach Andy Reid had said that the superstar QB avoided major damage to his other ligaments, but Mahomes reportedly also had a torn LCL repaired.

"The only thing you can do is focus on what's ahead of you and not look back," Brady added. "And just say, 'OK, this is part of what my career is going to be.' And a lot of people have gone through it, and a lot of people have overcome it.

"You've just got to put as much diligence into the rehab process. 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 gotta get through rehab mode as fast as possible and then you get back to training mode. But that requires an all-out commitment, and it's the same commitment that the great professional athletes make to be great at their profession."

Brady and Mahomes each won three Super Bowls before suffering a torn ACL.

Brady returned from his injury in 2009 with 4,398 passing yards and 28 touchdowns against 13 interceptions, claiming the Comeback Player of the Year award that season. The Patriots made the playoffs with a 10-6 record but lost in the wild-card round. Brady finished his career with seven Vince Lombardi Trophies.