This is again a rumor, and no way to verify anything, so perhaps it is indeed a 16-24mm lens.
But Tokina made an 11-16mm F/2.8 while many scoffed at their decision for creating a lens with such a short zoom range, quite a few users ended up really liking it and finding it useful. Though that lens translates to a 17-24 anyways... which is again what we're wanting