Aaron Rodgers targeting mid-December return from torn Achilles
Aaron Rodgers has been putting in extra hours of work in recovering from his Achilles injury he suffered in September. The New York Jets star quarterback is apparently on a recovery timeline never seen before in the game of football. In the second quarter of the Jets-Raiders matchup on Sunday Night Football, we got an update on the timeline that he’s targeting for his return from Melissa Stark of NBC. She relayed the information that Rodgers’ goal is to return in mid-December. It would be an incredible recovery and in time for a possible playoff run for the Jets franchise.
He has been sharing positive updates on his rehab recently
Joining the Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday for his weekly appearance, New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers provided a new update on his recovery from the Achilles tear he suffered in Week 1 of the season. The four-time league MVP was at MetLife Stadium for the Jets’ 27-6 loss against the Chargers and once again wowed fans with his mobility.
After footage from pre-game warm-ups showed the QB tossing a roughly 58-yard pass down the field, McAfee asked him, “Are we back?” Rodgers, however, downplayed how impressive it was for him to throw the ball more than half the length of the field.
“No, we’re not back, that’s just my stress reliever, that’s me feeling a little bit normal, like I’m back a member of the team almost,” Rodgers shared. “That’s me relieving some stress and having some fun pre-game.”
“I’m feeling good with my rehab. I’ve been grinding, I was able to get into a jersey on Monday morning and see the guys before the game,” he continued. “Throw a couple balls around with my buddy KP, one of our equipment staff. It felt good. When I’m 70, I think I’ll still be able to throw the ball pretty good, that’s never going to be a problem. It’s about how quickly can I get this rehab where I need it to be.
“I’m excited with where I’m at. Good to see the guys, good to see the crowd, obviously, a disappointing game but got another coming up Sunday.”
A clip from the Jets-Chargers post-game down on the field raised many eyebrows about Rodgers’ status moving into the second half of the season. Chargers safety Derwin James walked up to the QB after the game and asked: “When you coming back, man?”
Rodgers told him “Give me a few weeks.”
That dialogue has to excite Jets fans who witnessed Zach Wilson take eight sacks in primetime.
Rodgers tells Derwin James: ‘Give me a few weeks’
The Jets QB appears to be way ahead of schedule in his rehab. It takes between nine months and a year to recover from a torn Achilles. He’s about to start month three.
Rodgers isn’t wearing an obvious brace. He’s not using crutches and he doesn’t appear to still have a limp. He looked lithe and graceful on the three-step, pre-game drops, like he’s been doing them most of his life.
“It’s pretty obvious I’m well ahead of the normal protocols when it comes to rehab for this kind of thing,” Rodgers shared on McAfee after the first weeks of his rehab. “[We’re] being as smart as possible, not trying to stress 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.”
Although Rodgers is doing his rehab in California, he is consistently flying back to watch Jets games. The Jets won’t be back in MetLife Stadium until Nov. 24 for a game against the Miami Dolphins.
On3’s Nikki Chavanelle also contributed to this article.