Patrick Mahomes

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 contact, which means Mahomes should be able to take part in some of the work without having to risk hurting his knee again.

The third phase is organized team activites, where the offense can face the defense but there is still no live contact. The Chiefs have scheduled six of those workouts from May 26-28 and June 1-3 ahead of their mandatory minicamp on June 9-11.

The schedule is a little different from other years because Arrowhead Stadium will be hosting World Cup matches in June.

The full NFL schedule is expected to be announced in mid-May. The opening game is expected to be Sept. 10, which means the Chiefs could play their opener a few days later — about nine months after Mahomes sustained his injury.

“Knowing me, I’m going to push it to the exact limit every single day,” Mahomes said of his rehabilitation effort. “There’s places you can’t go yet. You want to but you can’t go yet. And they’re doing it for a reason.”

Cowboys pay kicker

The Dallas Cowboys and Brandon Aubrey agreed Monday on a $28 million, four-year contract extension that completes his improbable rise from playing in a spring league to becoming the highest-paid kicker in NFL history.

Aubrey, a former professional soccer player whose NFL career started when he was 28, will get $20 million guaranteed while becoming the first kicker with a $7 million annual average, agent Todd France said.

The 31-year-old Aubrey’s six field goals of at least 60 yards are the most in league history. He is also among the most accurate, with a career rate of 88.2% (112 of 127).

Williams gets deal

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The San Francisco 49ers and star left tackle Trent Williams agreed Monday to a two-year, $50 million contract that gives the team clarity about the future of one of its most important players before the NFL draft.

Williams’ agency, Elite Loyalty Sports, announced the deal that includes $37 million of fully guaranteed money and a $22 million signing bonus.

Elsewhere:

– The first step toward a possible reunion between Odell Beckham Jr. and the New York Giants is complete Monday after the wide receiver returned for a workout and physical at the facility of the team that drafted him 12 years ago.