Comparing Aaron Rodgers' Achilles tear recovery timeline to Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant's comebacks

On Monday night, Aaron Rodgers made his long awaited debut for the New York Jets. It was short-lived as the former MVP suffered an achilles injury on one of the first plays of the game and will thus miss the entire season.

Looking across all sports, there have been many instances of star players suffering an achilles injury late in their career. In some recent NBA examples, those players have managed to come back and still play at a high level.

During the 2019 NBA Finals, Kevin Durant hurt his achilles as a member of the Golden State Warriors. It ended up costing him an entire season, but the All-Star forward managed to return to form.

In his first season with the Brooklyn Nets, Durant averaged 26.9 points, 7.1 rebounds and 5.6 assists. He also put on an incredible performance in the postseason, playing every minute of two crucial games.

Since suffering this devastating injury, Durant has managed to return to his superstar self.

The other major instance was when LA Lakers legend Kobe Bryant tore his achilles in one of the final games of the 2013 season. It too cost him about a full year of his career as he only played in six games in 2014.

Many thought Bryant's career was over given his age at the time, but he managed to come back and play two more seasons before retiring in 2016. In his final year, the Hall of Fame guard averaged 17.6 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists.

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What does the recovery timeline look like for Aaron Rodgers following his achillies injury?

Judging of examples like Kevin Durant and Kobe Bryant, it's safe to assume Aaron Rodgers will need at least 11 months to recover from his achilles injury. Luckily for New York Jets fans, there is a possibility he is 100% by the start of next season.

With advances in medicine and physical therapy, athletes have been able to return from injuries that would have ended careers in the past. It will be a long road ahead for Aaron Rodgers, but it might be too soon to say that his career is over.

Two things separate Rodgers from examples KD and Kobe. The first being age. By the time Rodgers returns, he'll be almost 41 years old. To put that in perspective, Durant was 30 and Kobe was 34 when they got hurt.

The other major factor is the sport they play. Football is an extremely physical sport that puts a lot of demand on the body. Basketball is less of a contact sport, which is partly why these two were able to make strong comebacks. That being said, it is going to be much harder for Aaron Rodgers given his circumstances.