Michael Reaves/Getty ImagesMinnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins and New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers received differing treatments for their respective Achilles tears.
Unlike Rodgers, Cousins did not get the internal brace known as a "speed bridge" because his Achilles tendon tore in a different place, according to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo.
Mike Garafolo @MikeGarafoloAs the Joe Burrow news sinks in, <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Vikings?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Vikings</a> QB Kirk Cousins is addressing the media: "The recovery time (for Achilles surgeries) seems to be shortening and shortening (over time)." Didn't get the SpeedBridge because he didn't need it based on the location of the tear.
The internal brace in Rodgers' heel "protects the repair and opens up the possibility of an earlier return," according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero.
Cousins is hoping for an early return even without it, noting the recovery time for Achilles injuries "seems to be shortening and shortening."
"It's different for everybody, but it seems to be a procedure and an injury that the recovery seems to be shortening and shortening," Cousins said in his Friday press conference, which he held while standing in a walking boot.
"You understand that it's heading in the right direction, as far as an injury that you can really come back from and be really strong afterwards."
Cousins underwent surgery for his torn Achilles on November 1 after suffering the injury in a Week 8 win over the Green Bay Packers three days prior.
The Vikings quarterback did not know heading into the procedure if he would be getting the speed bridge, which hinges on where the tear is placed in the tendon.
Ultimately, there was enough tendon below the tear that the two halves of the tendon were sutured together, Cousins said.
Cousins said his surgeons found that preferable in the long-term to the speed bridge, which instead uses sutures anchored in the heel bone, according to WINK's Amy Oshier and Matias Abril.
Minnesota Vikings @VikingsLIVE: QB Kirk Cousins speaks to the media. <a href="https://t.co/AzGlpgENdy">https://t.co/AzGlpgENdy</a>
The quickest NFL bounce-back from an Achilles tear was running back Cam Akers' five-month recovery from the injury while playing for the Los Angeles Rams in 2021, according to Huddle Up's Joe Pompliano.
Rodgers is hoping to beat that recovery time. According to NBC's Melissa Stark (h/t Garafolo), he is aiming for a mid-December return, which would put him back on the field just four months after he ruptured the tendon in September.
Cousins does not yet have a projected return date. The Vikings quarterback had recorded a 4-4-0 record and 69.5 passing accuracy rate while throwing for 2,331 passing yards and 18 touchdowns before his injury.
He joins a long list of quarterbacks who have suffered season-ending injuries in 2023, including the Cincinnati Bengals' Joe Burrow, Cleveland Browns' Deshaun Watson, Indianapolis Colts' Anthony Richardson and New York Giants' Daniel Jones.
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