Aaron Rodgers has vowed to ‘get back up’ after rupturing his Achilles tendon, but history is less optimistic. For every Kevin Durant who successfully returned from injury in his thirties, there is a Johnny Unitas, Isiah Thomas or Ryan Howard: athletes who failed to truly recover.
It’s not that it’s impossible to be productive after a ruptured Achilles tendon. Thanks to medical improvements, the success rate of athletes recovering from injury has gradually improved. In fact, according to a study produced by SAGE Publishing claims that 75 percent of professional athletes who sustain the injury manage to return to their respective sports.
However, that figure drops to 68 percent for NFL players, according to a separate study. And there’s a lack of information for those approaching 40, as Rodgers will be in December.
“Studies have shown that age is the strongest predictor of outcome after Achilles tendon repair,” Dr. Peter DeLuca, former team physician for the Philadelphia Eagles and Flyers, told The Associated Press. “So the odds are not in his favor; However, there are other factors involved, such as pre-existing degeneration of the tendon, and there are always exceptions to the rule, especially as he is in good physical condition.”
Rodgers has already been ruled out for the remainder of this season, and given the nine-to-12 month recovery period, he could miss part of the 2024 campaign as well. With that in mind, the following is Mail Sport’s look at similar Achilles tendon injuries, focusing on athletes in their 30s and how they performed after the career-changing injury.
Aaron Rodgers has vowed to ‘get back up’ after tearing his Achilles tendon in Week 1
Aaron Rodgers is helped off the field by the New York Jets trainers at MetLife on Monday evening
Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant, 31: Perhaps the most encouraging example for Jets fans is that of Durant, who tore his Achilles tendon in the 2019 NBA Finals.
The road back to the hardwood was by no means easy. The 6-foot-1 former MVP missed the entire 2019-20 season.
However, he returned to his old form with Brooklyn in 2020-21, averaging 26.9 points per game while earning another All-Star nod.
Remarkably, the Achilles injury hasn’t slowed Durant’s earnings at all, as he has pocketed more than $160 million in the four seasons since he tore the tendon.
He has also taken the time to encourage other athletes who have battled the injury.
“You’re going to come back better and stronger than ever,” Durant told Villanova’s Justin Moore after the Wildcats basketball player went down in the 2022 Elite Eight.
“Nowadays it’s not like it used to be, where you can’t come back from.”
When Kevin Durant tore his Achilles tendon in 2019, he said, Kobe Bryant reached out with some words of encouragement: ‘Don’t be a crybaby’
Kobe Bryant rolls to the ground in pain after tearing his Achilles tendon during a game in 2013
Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, 34: Durant actually got a similar encouragement from Bryant when he went down in 2019, though the late Lakers legend had a decidedly different choice of words.
“Don’t be such a crybaby,” Bryant said, as Durant later revealed. ‘Everything will be fine. You come back and you are who you are.”
It was six years earlier when Bryant went down with his torn Achilles tendon and hit a pair of free throws before leaving the field for most of the next two seasons.
Knee injuries further complicated Bryant’s return, but he still averaged 22.3 points per game in 2014–15 and miraculously lost 60 points in his farewell performance against the Utah Jazz on April 13, 2016.
Atlanta Hawks forward Dominique Wilkins, 32: The Human Highlight Reel tore his Achilles tendon in 1992 before resuming his Hall-of-Fame career 11 months later.
Remarkably, Wilkins averaged 29.9 points per game for the Hawks the following season – nearly a career high – before being traded to the Los Angeles Clippers in 1994 and eventually bouncing in and out of the league in his late 30s.
The Human Highlight Reel tore his Achilles tendon in 1992, but resumed his career eleven months later
Marino remained a productive quarterback after his torn Achilles tendon, but said he never felt good again
Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino, 32: Perhaps the best example for Rodgers to study is that of Marino.
With the Dolphins eyeing a potential Super Bowl run, Marino tore his Achilles tendon in 1993, ending his streak of 145 consecutive starts.
He would return a season later, and while his stats remained the envy of most NFL quarterbacks, Marino felt like his body never really recovered.
“It was really devastating,” Marino said on the team website in 2019. ‘A torn Achilles tendon is one of the most difficult injuries to recover from. It is time consuming and annoying. There are times when you don’t make the progress you think you should make.’
What makes matters worse is that Marino believes the surgery was unsuccessful.
“The surgery to repair the Achilles tendon did not work as it should,” Marino said. “The tendon shriveled and lengthened, preventing me from putting weight on my toes and pushing off the front of my foot when I was throwing the ball.”
Despite the problems, Marino remained confident in his ability to win games, proving this by throwing five touchdowns against the New England Patriots upon his return in 1994.
Marino managed to continue his career until the age of 38 before retiring in 1999.
Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard, 31: The 2006 National League MVP tore his Achilles tendon at the end of the 2011 playoffs and never really returned to form.
After averaging 44 home runs in the six years before the injury, that mark dropped to 19 over the next five seasons.
In 2016, Howard’s average plummeted to .196, and he ultimately retired after the season.
Johnny Unitas (right) and Ryan Howard (left) struggled to return from their Achilles injuries
Isiah Thomas’ torn Achilles tendon was the final word on his playing career with the Pistons
Baltimore Colts quarterback Johnny Unitas, 37: In an ominous sign for paddleball enthusiasts, the Hall-of-Fame quarterback tore his Achilles tendon while playing paddle tennis at a YMCA in 1971.
Unitas’ career had already been derailed by injuries at that point, and the Achilles tendon clearly didn’t help.
He would go 5-9 the final three years of his career, including his awful five-game stint with the San Diego Chargers in 1973.
Detroit Pistons guard Isiah Thomas, 32: Zeke was almost at the end of his career in 1994 when he tore his Achilles tendon at the end of the season. He retired a month later and quickly took a job as co-owner and executive vice-president of the expansion Toronto Raptors.