NFL players with torn Achilles list include Aaron Rodgers, Shaun Bradly, Eno Benjamin, Michael Woods II, Dawuane Smoot, and JK Dobbins.
Achilles is the connective tendon between the foot and the leg which rises up from the back of the ankle. It starts from the heel bone and ends at the bottom of the calf muscle.
It is responsible for the pointing and flexing motion of the leg and the foot and is also directive to other movements. The triggering factor for the torn tendon is marked by the sudden jump or misstep resulting in extreme pain and difficulty in walking.
The injury is much more common in the games like NFL which invites lots of physical contacts, sudden and quick movements, severe hits, and more.
Many players suffer from similar and other kinds of severe bruises that make them sit out for a significant time period. The aforementioned complications are likely to increase with the increase in the player’s age.
It occurs most frequently in players in the age group of 30 to 40 and more in males as compared to females. Men are at 5 times higher risk than women.
NFL players Who Have Torn Achilles
NFL players who tore Achilles are 1. Marlon Mack 2. Nik Needham, Raekwon McMillan 3. Michael Woods II 4. Dawuane Smoot and 5. Eno Benjamin.
Some of the athletes suffering from the injury might return in a few months and some may never. That widely depends on the impact of the sudden rupture. Here are some sportsmen with the same tendon tear this season.
Aaron Rodgers
The huge expectation of the fans that the four-time NFL MVP could bring some miraculous win for the Jets was short-lived when Rodgers got injured on 11 September Monday.
It was the game against the Buffalo Bills. The first drive that night gave a season-long sitout. In the debut match, Rodgers saw him walking out of the field with difficulty taking the support of an athletic trainer.
The hopes were high on him but suddenly that all shattered when Aron fell on the field in pain. It was initially predicted to be an ankle injury but when Monday Night Football showed him with a walking boot in the locker room, things got clear.
His condition was confirmed after an MRI. The match took place on the Metlife Stadium turfs. The Jets were able to get a 22-16 victory over the Bills that night.
Rodgers’s injuries in the past while playing for the Packers read a collarbone fracture in 2013 (he missed seven games that season), in 2017 and a pinky toe fracture in 2021.
He had suffered a calf strain this offseason while playing in an organized team activity for the Jets. The player has recorded 59,055 passing yards with 475 touchdowns and 105 interceptions and also 3,466 rushing yards, 35 rushing TDs, 531 sacks, and 92 fumbles.
J.K. Dobbins
Ravens season opener against the Houston Texans on 10 September Sunday got the team’s running back Dobbins injured. The team had initially placed him on a questionable to-return list.
His Achilles tear was confirmed by John Harbaugh after the team got a 25-9 win over the Texans. Dobbins walked off the field exactly when 9:55 left in the third quarter. The Texans’ safety M.J. Stewart wrestled the running back down on the ground. A member of the training staff helped him walk out.
He ran for five yards before leaving which significantly helped Hills in the next play to go for a touchdown. The player is considered very special by his teammates.
As per his previous injury record, he sat out the entire 2021 season due to a severe knee injury and 10 games in the 2022 season for the same reason.
He has rushed for 1,347 yards and 12 touchdowns until now. In the rookie year, he had 6.0 yards per carry and recorded 5.7 yards per carry last season. The RB will sit out this entire season now.
Eno Benjamin
Benjamin had just come to the New Orlean Saints after hovering a lot in the League and got his Achilles ruptured in the training camp of the Saints on 5 August.
The player was waived by the Arizona Cardinals at first then claimed by the Houston Texans and waived again. Lastly, he was picked by the New Orleans Saints for the training camp where he competed with Kirk Merritt and Ellis Merriweather to be placed after Alvin Kamara and Jamaal Williams.
His career stats read 431 rushing yards and three touchdowns. The player has a mere 111 carries in total. The RB was on his way to give his maximum in his second season but fate hit him differently.
Marlon Mack
Mack was placed on the Injury Reserve list by the team after he tore his right Achilles in a practice on 9 August, Tuesday. He had signed with the team on 5 August, Friday only.
The RB will miss all the games this season. He was determined to show the Cardinals his strength to make it to the 53-man roaster but will watch the play from a distance.
He had suffered from a similar torn in early 2020 while playing for the Indianapolis Colts. Overall, the RB has rushed for 2,568 yards and 21 touchdowns in six seasons.
Torn Achilles Recovery Time in NFL
NFL players torn Achilles recovery time is 10 to 12 months in general. The period varies depending on the severity of the tear or rupture and its impact.
It is hard to predict at what time an NFL player with an injured Achilles will return to the field. As per the reports, almost 30-40% of NFL players with such injuries never make their comeback at the professional level.
Although the injured players could return in the short time frame as well, the NFL has seen a massive drop in their performance level after their comeback and almost none have regained their previous stats.
There are two ways of treatment for the injury. One is a surgery where the surgeon will cut into the bottom of the leg and the torn tendons will be stitched together.
Another option can be a massive amount of rest and avoiding load on the injured leg. The patients can still walk with the help of walking boots or clutches while in the recovery period.
Average Recovery Time For Torn Achilles
The average recovery period for the torn is 4 to 6 months. This is to return to normal activity. It might take up to a year or more to return to a professional level.
Some may return to the field with reduced performance while others may never be able to play at the professional level. But there are some miraculous examples who have returned to the field in just six months.
Cam Akers the Running Back for the Los Angeles Rams returned to the field after 6 months of his injury fit and healthy in 2021. But the performance was not explosive as he just had 72 carries for 175 yards.
Similarly, Tarik Cohen who previously played for the Chicago Bears is another example of a similar type of injury looking for a comeback in the NFL. He was a former RB to the Bears and is a current free agent.
James Robinson and Justice Hill in 2021, Marlon Mack in 2020, all took the field not exceeding 47 weeks of their absence on average.
Do NFL players Get Paid When Injured?
Yes, NFL players get paid when injured. The salary will likely see a 40-70% reduction from the amount previously agreed on the payroll contract.
This entirely depends upon the nature of the contract the player has signed. If there is the presence of a “guaranteed money” clause in the deal, then the player is likely to get the promised amount completely.
But the fact is only limited players can get their hands on such strong and magnanimous contracts. However, a player will receive only a fraction of the signed amount if he is under a standard split deal with a team in which the payment is made in accordance with the number of games played vs. the number of games missed.
If the contract doesn’t consist of a “guaranteed money” clause, the reduction will result in such deals as well. It is important to note that the athletes will receive some payments only if they get injured practicing under the team’s supervision or the facilities owned by the NFL.
Those injured during the team’s training camps and practices are also likely to get paid but the team under no other circumstances will obliged to pay those who are on the non-football injury list.
In such violent games as the NFL, the average injury per game is 5.90 as analyzed by Harvard in 2017 which is much higher than 0.16 in NBA, 0.59 in NHL, and 0.45 in MLB.
Maybe this is the reason the team doesn’t sign a long-term contract with the players frequently. On the other hand, the higher risk demands higher financial security for the players.
Damar Hamlin Scenario
If we look at Damar Hamlin, who suffered an on-field cardiac arrest while playing against the Cincinnati Bengals as an example, his salary was reduced by $20,555.60 for being on the IR list for just one game in the 2022 season.
If Hamlin had to sit out the entire season, his $825,000 due from his $3.64 million contract would have only paid him $455,000 which would be a 45% reduction. That is due to the split salary nature of the contract.