Aaron Rodgers will look to defy the odds in 2024.
The former four-time NFL MVP is coming off an Achilles injury he suffered four plays into his Jets debut last September.
Rodgers bravely attempted to return during the same season he suffered an Achilles tear. However, once Gang Green was officially eliminated from postseason contention, Rodgers, 40, decided not to risk his return at less than 100%.
There isn’t much precedent for players who have sustained an Achilles injury after age 35. Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins, 35, also suffered an Achilles injury while playing for the Vikings in their Week 8 game against the Packers last season.
Modern science has improved throughout the years, which could benefit Rodgers. Just days after tearing his Achilles, Rodgers underwent a “SpeedBridge” procedure designed to accelerate the standard rehabilitation process.
Here are some players who have dealt with Achilles’ tears throughout various points of their careers.
Dolphins QB Dan Marino
Not many quarterbacks have suffered Achilles tears. However, one of the most well-known cases is Dan Marino, who suffered one during the 1993 season.
Coming off an AFC Championship loss to the Bills, the Dolphins were considered one of the trendy Super Bowl favorites the following year. However, after a 3-1 start, Marino tore his Achilles during Miami’s 24-14 loss against the Browns. The Dolphins found a way to get to 9-2 in Marino’s absence but lost their remaining five games to finish 9-7 and missed the playoffs entirely.
Marino returned from his Achilles injury during the 1994 season and had a magical return against the Patriots. In the season-opening 39-35 victory, Marino threw for 473 passing yards and five touchdowns.
Marino finished with 4,453 yards, 30 touchdowns, and 17 interceptions while winning the 1994 Comeback Player of the Year honors after leading the Dolphins to a 10-6 record and a wild-card berth. The Dolphins eventually lost to the Chargers in the AFC Divisional Round.
The 1994 season was Marino’s last great run, with the quarterback finishing with over 4,000 passing yards. During his final five seasons in Miami (1995-99), Marino averaged 3,236 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions.
It is worth noting that Marino’s style of play was much different from Rodgers’. While Marino was purely a pocket passer who rarely left the pocket, Rodgers consistently used his mobility to give his receivers more time to find open windows in opposing defenses.
Jets QB Vinny Testaverde
Many Jets fans remember when Vinny Testaverde tore his Achilles in 1999. Eerie similar to Rodgers, Testaverde tore his Achilles during the Jets season opener loss to the Patriots and missed the rest of the season.
Gang Green had high expectations during the 1999 season. The year prior, the Jets lost to the Broncos in the 1998 AFC Championship, and Broncos quarterback John Elway retired after winning his second consecutive Super Bowl.
Testaverde played four more seasons with the Jets, including the 2000 season. That year, he passed for 3,732 yards, 21 touchdowns, and 25 interceptions. The Jets finished 9-7 that season and missed the playoffs for the second straight year.
This would mark the final season Testaverde registered over 20 touchdowns in a season. Testaverde was 35 at the time of his Achilles injury but would play eight more seasons in the NFL with the Jets, Cowboys, Patriots, and Panthers before retiring after 21 seasons at age 44.
At one time, Testaverde was a quarterback who had the mobility to leave the pocket when needed. But after his Achilles injury, Testaverde became more of a pocket passer.
Former Rams RB Cam Akers
In 2021, the Rams selected Cam Akers in the second round out of Florida State. However, following a 625-yard, two-touchdown campaign in 2020, Akers tore his Achilles during an offseason workout before the 2021 season.
Akers was one of the first well-known NFL players to undergo the “SpeedBridge” surgical procedure, the same as what Rodgers underwent last September. That helped Akers shorten his recovery time from the typical nine to 12 months to 5.5 months and return in time for the 2021 postseason to help the Rams win Super Bowl LVI.
In 2022, Akers had his best season in the league after finishing with 786 yards and seven touchdowns. But that didn’t stop the Rams from trading Akers to the Vikings for a conditional 2026 sixth-round pick last year. He rushed for just 138 yards and one touchdown before tearing his Achilles a second time after Minnesota’s 31-28 victory over the Falcons.
Akers is currently an unrestricted free agent after the Vikings didn’t tender him in March.
Former Jaguars RB James Robinson
James Robinson had a solid start to his career after rushing for 1,070 yards and seven touchdowns during his 2020 rookie season with the Jaguars.
But in 2021, during a nightmare 3-14 season, Urban Meyer was fired, and Robinson tore his left Achilles tendon. He returned for the 2022 season but was traded to the Jets after seven games with the Jaguars following Breece Hall’s season-ending ACL injury. Robinson only played four games for the Jets after rushing for 85 yards.
Gang Green decided not to tender Robinson, and he became an unrestricted free agent in 2023. He signed with the Giants last summer but was released before the final roster cuts. Robinson is currently on the Saints roster.
