Carolina Panthers rookie undergoes successful surgery after second major knee injury

Jonathon Brooks tore the same ACL he had just recovered from a mere few weeks after his NFL debut with the Carolina Panthers. The rookie running back was a 2024 NFL Draft second-round pick and missed most of last season.
The rookie only played a handful of snaps before going down on a non-contact play, suffering perhaps the worst possible injury for him to sustain. It's hard enough to come back from one ACL tear, but two in the same knee is an even greater challenge. Fortunately, he has just passed the first step in recovery.
Jonathon Brooks undergoes successful knee surgery
Panthers RB Jonathon Brooks had a successful 2nd ACL surgery on his right knee last week, per a league source.
— Joe Person (@josephperson) January 19, 2025
Brooks, the 2nd-rd pick from Texas, was injured on a non-contact play vs. the Eagles on Dec. 8. He is expected to miss all of the ‘25 season.
Jonathon Brooks officially underwent his second ACL surgery in about a year last week. Per The Athletic's Joe Person, the 2024 rookie is expected to miss the entire season. He went down on December 8, but the recovery from a second tear like this is much harder.
The Panthers were extremely cautious in bringing him back, opting to let him have the longest possible time off the field before making his NFL debut. An ACL tear usually requires 9-12 months off, which would put Brooks coming back in December at the latest.
However, that's near the end of the season, and that doesn't factor in that a second recovery like that in such a short time is uncommon. Even if he is ready to return after 12 months, that would likely include just a couple of remaining games, and it's probably not worth the risk to let him play those contests.
It's unfortunate, but Brooks will likely not see meaningful snaps until at least his third year in the NFL, so it's a good thing the Panthers extended Chuba Hubbard for the next four seasons.
- Enjoy more free Panthers coverage with Carolina Panthers on SI -
Panthers 7-round mock draft: Dan Morgan forms incredible CB duo
NFL pundit pitches trade sending Panthers star to AFC North contender
Cam Newton kept pounding gold medalist in reality show boxing bout
Carolina Panthers QB Bryce Young’s father takes a shot at Nick Saban