Patriots RB Rex Burkhead already planning to play in 2021 despite season-ending injury

Patriots RB Rex Burkhead revealed on social media that he’s planning to play in 2021 despite suffering a season-ending injury in Week 12.

The New England Patriots’ loss to a vastly inferior Houston Texans side this past Sunday unfortunately had tentacles attached to it as running back Rex Burkhead was carted off the field after suffering what looked to be a serious knee injury.

Though an official diagnosis had yet to be provided at the time, an MRI ultimately confirmed fans’ worst fears in the form of a torn ACL. Burkhead took to social media to reveal that he’s done for the season. The Patriots’ rushing attack has admittedly picked up over the last month, but it goes without saying that this is a crushing blow to their offense.

At 30 years old and set to become an unrestricted free agent after the season, Burkhead will have an uphill battle to climb in terms of rehabbing and getting back to full strength before the start of training camp next year.

However, he isn’t going to let those unfavorable odds deter him in his quest to return to the gridiron. In the same post that he confirmed the severity of his injury, the eight-year veteran proclaimed that he’ll be back “better than ever in 2021.”

This kind of determination is precisely what made Burkhead such a fan favorite during his tenure with the Patriots. He was certainly never the most talented or physically gifted player in their backfield, but he always seemed to make the most of his limited opportunities.

The same can be said for this season, as Burkhead took 67 carries for 274 yards (4.1 YPC) and three touchdowns on the ground, to go with 25 catches for 192 yards an an additional three scores in the passing game. His six touchdowns ranked second on the team behind Cam Newton, who’s found the end zone a whopping nine times with his legs.

Burkhead’s career in New England might be over — what an awful way for it to end, right? — but you better believe that we will be in his corner rooting for him to make a full recovery and sign with another team before the start of next season.

It won’t be easy, but we know better than to doubt the Nebraska product. After all, as a former sixth-round pick, the cards were stacked against him the moment he arrived in the NFL.

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