Veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been cleared to make a return from his extended injury layoff, 11 weeks after he suffered an Achilles tendon injury on his debut for the New York Jets in NFL Game Week One.
The four-time NFL MVP arrived at the MetLife Stadium to quite a fanfare and gave long-suffering Jets fans something to cheer about, at least until he suffered his injury minutes into his first game.
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Rodgers’ return is far sooner than many would have expected, not least because of the type of injury he suffered but also the fact that the former Super Bowl champion has just turned forty years of age.
Jets head coach Robert Saleh expanded on what can be expected of Rodgers in the coming weeks in terms of his rehabilitation program.
“There’s certain things that he’s been cleared for that we are going to allow him to do,”
“Aaron is not going to do anything to put himself in harm’s way,”
“This isn’t so much getting ready to play as much as it is a progression in his rehab,” Saleh added.
He then went on to pay tribute to the fitness levels of the aging NFL superstar,
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“I think it’s a testament to who he is as a human, and obviously, there’s a little bit of that drive where he wants to prove it can be done faster than anybody’s done it before,”
“That’s OK. That’s part of his mental make-up. I think he still runs with a chip on his shoulder, and that’s the way he lives his life, where he always wants to prove people wrong in terms of doubting him.”
“He’s a special human and I think his actions are showing how much he appreciates, I think, this organization and everything around it.”
After a big win over the Texans the Jets are 5-8 and the chances of making the postseason are slim to none and as such, there may be a school of thought that suggests they should not risk Rodgers for fear of their prized asset suffering a bigger injury.
The New York Jets have not made it to the playoffs since 2010, and therefore, not doing so again in 2023 would not be the end of the world.
When pressed on the possibility of him coming back too early and causing himself more hardship, Rodgers was typically blaise,
“My thing is: What’s the worst that can happen?”
“Something unfortunate again, and then you just slow the rehab down. I think by my own timetable that if you take the rehab slower and a little more deliberate – five months, six months max – is probably the length to get back to 100 percent if you really take it slow. So, in my opinion, there’s not like a downside to coming back and re-injuring it.” Rodgers concluded.