GREEN BAY, Wis. – After achieving all-conference recognition and being named an Academic All-American following the 2023 season, Arkansas State center Jacob Bayer believed he had a shot at the NFL as he anticipated the 2024 season.
However, on March 30, during the sixth practice of spring training, misfortune hit. Bayer suffered a torn ACL during spring drills and underwent surgery on April 2. “It was difficult. I was anxious to return as quickly as possible because I didn’t want to miss out after having a strong junior year,” Bayer expressed on Friday, just days after his NFL Draft meeting with the Green Bay Packers.
“I felt the urgency to come back swiftly to avoid getting overlooked. The momentum I had built could have been lost. I was definitely worried about the potential outcomes if things didn’t go as planned.” Packers standout Rashan Gary also tore his ACL in Detroit in November 2022. He impressively returned to training camp nine months and one day later. Generally, an ACL injury requires a 10-month recovery process from injury to returning to play.
“They mentioned it would take nine to 12 months. Being an O-lineman, you must allow yourself the time,” Bayer stated. Yet, Bayer is not like most athletes. Exhibiting remarkable resilience, determination, and passion for the sport—qualities likely admired by teams—he accomplished what might be an unparalleled recovery from a potentially career-ending injury.
Astonishingly, a mere five months post-injury, Bayer was back in the starting lineup, earning second-team all-conference honors and a spot in the prestigious Senior Bowl. How did he manage this? “I inquired whether it was possible for me to return at some point in the season,” he explained, “and they said, ‘Adrian Peterson came back in about six months.’ So, I set that as my target and pushed everything up by about a month. Or two. Or quite a lot, really.
Essentially, I aimed to halve the recovery time.” No matter the benchmark on his recovery journey, Bayer surpassed it as if speeding in a Porsche along a rural road near his hometown of Grandview, Texas. He underwent rehab three times a day while fortifying the surrounding muscles to alleviate pressure on the healing ligament. Trainers, doctors, and coaches understand the recovery timeline for ACL injuries due to their prevalence in sports.
Did anyone label him as overly ambitious? “Yes, I was advised to sit out for a year, hearing things like ‘There’s no need’ and ‘You had a solid junior year, just rest and return next year, everything will be fine.’ When it became increasingly feasible to return in six months, five-and-a-half months, I was cautioned about the risk of re-injury. And it was risky. It’s not as if it wasn’t. It was just a goal I set for myself, and I couldn’t envision watching my team play without being on the field.
If I had the chance, I wanted to be involved. So, I committed and pursued it diligently.” Initially, Bayer was restricted to individual drills at the beginning of training camp. During team exercises, he would stand roughly 20 yards behind the line of scrimmage and walk through plays. Only as school resumed and the season neared did he progress to participating in live practices. He missed the season opener against Central Arkansas. But a week later, on September 7—exactly five months and eight days post-injury—Bayer started and played every snap against Tulsa.
