Aaron Rodgers returns to the NFL on Monday night, confident he’s ready to go after suffering a torn Achilles tendon four snaps into the 2023 season.

Other professional athletes have made successful comebacks after the same injury, but Rodgers’ plan differs in one important respect: The former Cal star is 40 years old.

One day before Rodgers and the New York Jets face the San Francisco 49ers, 36-year-old Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins ​​will begin his comeback from a torn Achilles tendon against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

How they perform in a physically demanding game remains to be seen, as quarterbacks do not often have to display the kind of explosiveness that can strain an Achilles tendon.

Age seems to be the most important indicator of a successful comeback, more than any other factor. But even then, there are exceptions.

Here are 13 elite athletes who suffered an Achilles tendon injury (with their age at the time of injury in parentheses) and how they fared in their comeback:

BREANNA STEWART (24): The WNBA superstar tore her Achilles tendon on April 14, 2019, during a EuroLeague championship game against Russian club Dynamo Kursk. She missed the entire 2019 WNBA summer season, but then returned in 2020 and averaged 19.7 points and 8.3 rebounds and finished second in MVP voting. In fact, she has finished in the top three in MVP voting every year in the four seasons since her return, winning the 2023 vote.

TERRELL SUGGS (29): The Baltimore Ravens linebacker tore his Achilles tendon in the offseason in May 2012 and made a remarkable comeback after just 5 months and 6 days, recording a sack and four tackles against the Houston Texans on October 21, 2012. One year later, in 2013, he made it to the Pro Bowl for the sixth time. Suggs played in the NFL until 2019.

KEVIN DURANT (30): Durant tore his Achilles tendon on June 10, 2019, in Game 5 of the NBA Finals with the Warriors. He sat out the entire 2019-20 season to rehab, then returned in 2020-21, averaging 26.9 points and earning an All-Star Game spot with the Brooklyn Nets. Durant has averaged 28.2 points in the four seasons since his injury, despite playing more than 55 games for the first time last season.

KLAUS THOMPSON (30): Three days after Durant’s injury, Thompson, who had just turned 29, tore his anterior cruciate ligament in Game 6 of the NBA Finals. While recovering from that, Thompson tore his Achilles tendon in November 2020. He finally returned from the two catastrophic injuries on January 9, 2022 – after 941 days – and scored 17 points in 20 minutes in a win over the Cavaliers. He averaged 20.4 points in 32 regular-season games and helped the Warriors win the 2022 NBA title.

CHRISTIAN TAYLOR (30): Taylor, a two-time Olympic gold medalist (2012 and 2016) and four-time world champion in the triple jump, tore his Achilles tendon during a competition in Ostrava, Czech Republic, in May 2021, ending his hopes of a third consecutive victory at the Tokyo Olympics. Taylor, who has the second-highest jump of all time, failed to qualify for the Paris Games this summer after finishing 10th at the U.S. trials.

RYAN HOWARD (31): Howard was named National League MVP in 2006 with 58 home runs. In his first seven full seasons in the major leagues, he averaged 41 home runs and had a .285 batting average. But in the Phillies’ season-ending loss to St. Louis in Game 5 of the 2011 NL Division Series, Howard fell to the ground as he left the batter’s box after a groundout. He played five more seasons after tearing his Achilles tendon, but his numbers dropped to 19 home runs per season and a .226 batting average.

ISIAH THOMAS (32): The Hall of Fame guard was already in a weak phase on April 19, 1994, when he tore his Achilles tendon. A month later, after averaging 14.8 points in the 1993-94 season, the lowest scoring average of his career, Thomas retired from the NBA.

DAN MARINO (32): Marino, one of the NFL’s most prolific passers, was throwing a swing pass for the Miami Dolphins against the Cleveland Browns on Oct. 10, 1993, when he walked to the field uninjured with a torn Achilles tendon. To say he made a successful comeback would be an understatement: He returned for the 1994 opener and threw for 473 yards and five touchdowns in a win over New England. In his final six games, Marino started 86 games and averaged more than 4,000 yards and 24 touchdowns.

DOMINIQUE WILKINS (32): Wilkins tore his Achilles tendon on January 28, 1992, and returned to the field at the start of the 1992-93 season. The Hall of Famer, known as the Human Highlight Film, scored 33 points in his first game and averaged 29.9 for the entire season. Wilkins played until age 39, including one season each in Greece and Italy.

TIGER WOODS (33): Woods suffered a right Achilles tendon injury in December 2008 but did not undergo surgery and did not disclose the injury until more than a year later. He was the 2009 PGA Player of the Year, but did not win his 15th and final major title until the 2019 Masters. The Achilles tendon continues to cause him periodic problems, but Woods has also struggled with a number of other health issues, including a torn ACL, four back surgeries and a life-threatening car accident in February 2021.

DAVID BECKHAM (34): Beckham, one of the biggest stars in international football, tore his left Achilles tendon while playing for AC Milan in March 2010. The popular British midfielder returned to the field on September 11 of that year and scored his first goal for LA Galaxy a month later. He retired in 2013 after a 20-year career that included stints with Manchester United and Real Madrid, as well as six seasons in MLS.

KOBE BRYANT (34): The late Los Angeles Lakers legend hit two free throws against the Warriors on April 12, 2013, after tearing his Achilles tendon. But he was never the same. Bryant averaged just 13.8 points in six games the next season and 18.9 points in his final three seasons after averaging 27.4 points in his first 15 full seasons.

JOHNNY UNITAS (38): The three-time MVP, considered one of the NFL’s first great passers, tore his Achilles tendon while playing paddle ball at a YMCA in the spring of 1971. In his final three seasons as a starter, he had a record of just 5-9, throwing 10 touchdowns and 22 interceptions.