NOVEMBER 19: Rodgers told Jay Glazer of FOX Sports that he wants to return to practice on December 2, which is the day he will turn 40 (h/t Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk). If Rodgers can realize that goal, then he would obviously be on track to make the mid-December return to game action that he alluded to previously.
As CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson reports, the four-time MVP is aiming for New York’s’ Christmas Eve contest against Washington as his first game since Week 1. That would line up sensibly with a practice return in mid-December, though plenty will be determined by the timing of his 21-day practice window being opened. Anderson confirms, however, that Rodgers still has a long way to go to receive clearance in the first place.
Of course, if the Jets lose their next two games, they will be an extreme longshot to make the postseason before Rodgers even gets back on the practice field, which would seemingly render a 2023 comeback needlessly risky.
NOVEMBER 16: As unrealistic as it sounded near the beginning of this journey, Aaron Rodgers is still beating the drum of a late-season return from the Achilles tear he suffered four plays into his Jets career. Reinjury risk obviously introduces a complication, but the Jets would not stand in the future Hall of Famer’s way.
The Jets are banking on Rodgers coming back for the 2024 season, after the parties reached an agreement in which the 19th-year QB gave back money. Now attached to a two-year, $75MM deal, Rodgers remains attached to a fully guaranteed 2024 sum. Rather than ensuring the most expensive QB investment in team history will be 100% for the offseason program, the Jets would give Rodgers the final say about returning late this season.
“Aaron’s a big boy, a grown man, and no one’s going to know Aaron’s body like Aaron knows his body,” Robert Saleh said, via ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini. “And if he feels after all the doctors clear him — I’m sure there’s a million of them, I have no idea — but if Aaron says he wants to play, he’s going to play.”
Jets GM Joe Douglas previously said the team expects to have the soon-to-be 40-year-old passer back late this season, adding more fuel to this plot Rodgers unveiled in September. Rodgers’ weekly Pat McAfee Show appearances have kept him in the public eye more often compared to just about every other player who has suffered a major early-season injury, extending this as a regular talking point. The four-time MVP said this week mid-December is a realistic goal. Though, Rodgers has stopped short of revealing a precise timetable.
The Jets’ record will naturally play into this unlikely comeback coming to fruition, with Rodgers confirming the Jets have to be in the playoff mix for him to turn this comeback effort into a return. New York has dropped to 4-5, seeing Zach Wilson‘s struggles continue to the point the team has not scored a touchdown in 36 drives. The Jets face the Bills and Dolphins over the next two weeks. After the back-to-back losses, ESPN’s FPI gives the Jets just a 4.1% chance of qualifying for the playoffs. Their performance in these two upcoming AFC East tilts may well determine how much longer this Rodgers-driven plot will last.
Rodgers has a history of a late-season comebacks, with mixed results. He has twice returned after sustaining a broken collarbone, re-emerging in the Packers’ 2013 regular-season finale — to help them hold off the Bears for the NFC North title — and resurfacing in December 2017. The latter return led to a one-off in which the Packers held out an IR-return spot — back when teams only had two such activations available — for Rodgers, who played in Week 15. A narrow loss to the Panthers led to the Packers placing Rodgers back on IR, as the organization exercised caution against the risk of reinjury.
Collarbone injuries and Achilles ruptures are obviously different matters, and Rodgers returning would be a landmark development in terms of injury rehab efforts. While the more realistic scenario is the Jets see Rodgers on the field again next season, Wilson — whom Saleh confirmed remains New York’s starter — is now in charge of this storyline.
If Rodgers somehow gets cleared, Jets need to realize it’s a trap from the universe. That Achilles will snap again immediately, Rodgers will retire with less than one drive in a Jets uniform, and everyone will be fired.
It’s the only possible outcome, because they are the Jets.
Yeah, the positive outcome of inspiring the team is far outweighed by the possible negatives to me. Even if the Achilles fares well, Rodgers has been out most of the year. As good as he is, you don’t just magically and immediately return to game shape like that, and he hasn’t had any time to connect with his teammates on the field in game situations.
It just doesn’t seem worth it at all. Rodgers has done an admirable job of staying connected with the team while being out-let that be the positive impact and get ready for next year. He could surely make a difference this year, but the gravity of the risks far outweigh the possible positives in my mind.
Nick Foles is available and he has just as many SB rings.
The Jets HC would have an immediate job in Green Bay …
Mr conspiracy is creating one of his own. If he returns this year. He did not hurt Achilles . reality Rodgers is diva who needs consistent attention. Think this is why he can’t be in relationship with anyone for longer then year or so. LOL
By next season Bahktiari will be there as well as Davante Adams. Then Rodgers will let the bullits fly. The impervious offensive line the Jets can afford, will protect Rodgers to the extent that all he has to do is launch it and sing somewhere over the rainbow …
Previous articles have mentioned he did not undertake the traditional procedure and instead opted for an experimental new procedure with a much shorter recovery window. He also doesn’t need it to sustain a decade of abuse, just 1-2 more years. Medical advancements happen all the time. I know it’s Rodgers and he is a bit much, but he could realistically return this year.
No he cannot.
That is crazy. A complete Achilles rupture and then 4 months to recovery and playing? NO EFFING WAY!!!
Stop buying this BS.
I had this injury. BC of this crap I called my Dr. and he said Rodgers is CRAZY. No body comes back from an achilles Rupture in 4 months.
Stop believing everything you hear from Rodgers.
Hayabusa to that ! Amen !
Rodgers will return, break most of the league passing records in existence and lead the Jets to a SB championship. I could provide more details but I still have some medications to take before I put on my tin foil hat and reconnect with the illuminati on the mothership.
anunnaki.
People don’t hate Rodgers because of a shot they hate him because he’s a diva queen who blames everyone else for his many failures
Many failures? I’d ask what they are, but I can tell to not count on much other than personal vendetta in the response.
Not to say that Rodgers isn’t a diva (he is), but he was completely right (well, nearly so) about the lackluster attempts by Green Bay to field a competitive team. Watch a Packers game this year if you don’t believe me…
The Packers provided him with everything he needed that they could afford. If there was a clause in his contract that stated he would be paid more for winning, instead of just being paid too much in the first place, it may have allowed the Packers enough cap room to have the players he needed to compete for the trophy. Paying the top dollar for Rodgers always made the team short a player or two of the caliber needed to win it all. One Superbowl and a big raise for him was all it took to keep Green Bay back. The constant bitching about this or that when he got what he wanted, and all that was is money. They took their division many years but was short of talent when it got to the playoffs. Missing one player in some aspects of the game made thum lose.
They had plenty of room to draft players. They drafted obvious wrong choices, at wrong positions, every time.
I agree with you, actually, that Rodgers took too much money to allow wiggle room for high end signings, and the Packers haven’t ever really done too much of that Saints style dummy years reup to circumvent the cap. Maybe it’s a good thing, and instead of getting the decent cap management of New Orleans style, they’d have gotten the Rams. Either way, Rodgers did always push for money, and I agree with you there. Another thing that I think contributed just as much was how he didn’t work with his receivers in the offseason towards the end of his Packers tenure. This was especially impactful in their final year with no receiver who had caught more than 40 passes in a season on their entire roster at the time.
Now, on the other hand, I understand why Rodgers wasn’t willing to give Green Bay the benefit of the doubt. They didn’t try to actively improve and push for a championship with him under center for most of his career, passing up quality free agents or necessary positions over both Thompson’s and Gutekunst’s regimes (wide receiver later, but middle linebacker always and tight end as well, just to name a few constants) and always relied on Rodgers to make them competitive. Rodgers’ demands surely made things harder, but Green Bay never showed initiative to actually take the next step when they had almost everything else in place. I wouldn’t do it, but I do get why he would ask him himself “why give up money if I don’t trust them to even use it?”
If your quarterback is winning MVPs or throwing 25+ touchdowns with few turnovers every year, you need to ask yourself what more you as a GM can reasonably demand from him. At that point, you have one player who is doing his part. You need to figure what you can do to improve the rest. Rodgers is no GM, but the needs of the Packers were so obvious that most of us saw them as well. Gutekunst actively ignoring them to start his tenure set a bad tone, and like you said, Rodgers isn’t one to let things slide. But, at the end of the day, he did demand what Green Bay needed, whether it was for him or someone else at QB.
I think it’s hilarious how much people hate this guy.
Goes from winning MVPs and being on commercials to “what a complete idiot” because he didn’t take a shot.
He wasn’t liked before that…
He was a complete idiot long before the whole shot controversy. He’s a dummy who thinks he’s smart.
If I was the jets I would be carful. If Rogers play 6 games with the jets, they need to pay GreenBay a 1st round pick then that was the deal
I thought he had to play 60% of the snaps in each football game, or the equivalent. He did do 4 snaps already, so that’s out of the way. Only 56 snaps to go.
I hope he comes back and plays this year. The Jets still won’t make the post season. And spend the entire offseason listening to Jets fans say ‘2024 is our year!!!’. Then bottom out again next season.
$1 says it plays out that way.
What could possibly go wrong.
No oline
No wrs that can get real separation
“Torn” Achilles in the cold weather months
yah sounds like success.
He isn’t even at the game now against the Bills. Rodgers is going to put the Jets in the cellar for years to come. Say there are 8 Packers on their team including the Coach they got on offense.
After today’s ugly loss the Jets have 5 of their last 7 vs. teams that are in the hunt going into Thanksgiving. A loss or 2 against playoff contenders, the Jets might as well tell Rodgers “go home and rest up for ’24”.
The Jets put Rodgers behind that offensive line, they won’t have to worry about him being the QB in ‘24.
He should be at least sitting on the sidelines counting his buckets of money, so Jets fans can cheer him on in his speedo recovery. Thum offensive line men got to be drafted new each year because pro bowl caliber line men cost too much, and it would necessitate getting a low priced quarterback in his stead. Is Nick Foles available, he has just as many of thum SB Rings as Rodgers, and he don’t take as long counting money …
Next Sunday they’ll be 4-7. Hopefully they come their senses soon there is no point in Rodgers coming back this season.
Maybe they could trade him to the Vikings. Then get Kirk Cousins a better QB in the first place
Nothing against Cousins, whom I like, but your boy is also coming off an Achilles tear…
Yes, and I feel for him despite being a Packer fan.
He also was probably paid a bit much, but always played behind a lackluster offensive line there. He put up with a lot of guff from his receivers that he didn’t get the ball to them, and he was backstabbed constantly. Mainly Diggs and Adam Thielen but others too!
He was on his back a good share of the time, which I would imagine makes it hard to locate a receiver. Their pass protection ranked about 26th or 28th in the league. But Kirk Cousins never cried or whimpered through all of it
and when he’s got a shot he nails it! Better than Rodgers, but never getting the credit.
Why he re-upped there I don’t know. If he was in New England they wouldn’t miss Brady, and lots of other teams could use him as well. Minnesota has treated him like dirt. He got paid but that’s about it, and everything was always his fault.
I disagree with the “better than Rodgers” bit (and that’s no disrespect to Cousins), but I agree with the rest.