When Jets’ quarterback Aaron Rodgers went down with an injury just four snaps into his 2023 season, many loyal fans considered New York’s season lost. They might be able to somehow limp into the playoffs, but without their star signal caller, a potential Super Bowl title was out of reach. But now six weeks later, the team is 3-3 and Aaron Rodgers is looking to make a miraculous comeback to save the season. And he’s saying now that he’s eyeing NFL week 15 as his potential return date.
Aaron Rodgers, running onto the field in week 1 | SCREENSHOT: Michelin Gaming/YouTube
“It’s pretty obvious I’m well ahead of the normal protocols when it comes to rehab for this kind of thing, but that was always what my mindset was,” Aaron Rodgers said this week on The Pat McAfee Show.
“[We’re] being as smart as possible, not trying to stretch the Achilles but stretch the Achilles in a way that allows me to start doing movement quicker and to speed up whatever timeline has kind of been the standard for this type of injury.”
That ruptured Achilles Tendon is a very serious injury for any athlete, least of all a 39-year-old QB whose been through his fair share of turf wars. Aaron Rodgers may be a four-time NFL MVP, but he will have to pull off a feat fitting of Superman if he plans on saving the day. The normal recovery for an injury like his is typically 9-12 months.
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Aaron Rodgers was the belle of the ball during the offseason, with several teams vying for his services once he announced he wanted to depart Green Bay after 18 seasons. After a Super Bowl title and a resume of highlight reel moments, the Jets were the lucky suitor who finally landed the living legend. Then, the first series of the year happened, and all the hope and hype turned into heartache.
If Rodgers manages to come back and play this season, he will be in rare company. However recently, then-Rams running back Cam Akers was activated five months after undergoing surgery for a similar tear. So if the Jets are still in the running for a playoff spot in December? We might just see Aaron Rodgers out there, back under center in 2023.
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