NFL analyst wants Aaron Rodgers to follow in Kevin Durant's footsteps as Jets QB begins rehab for Achilles tear
Aaron Rodgers is pushing for a late return this season. The quarterback suffered a torn Achilles during the New York Jets season opener against the Buffalo Bills, creating a huge sense of disappointment among fans and players, who were all excited to see the Jets with a good quarterback after years of suffering.
Although Aaron Rodgers is pushing himself for a return with 'innovative methods' with the goal of still playing in 2023, NFL analyst Ryan Clark thinks that the best thing for the quarterback would be to sit out this season and build himself upon a triumphant return in 2024, using Kevin Durant's recovery as an example:
"Kevin Durant, who was coming to another New York team, the Brooklyn Nets, injured his Achilles in the championship for the Golden State Warriors against the Toronto Raptors. Kevin Durant didn't play at all that year. Kevin Durant, his doctors, and the team understood [that] it was better to plan for another day.
"It was better to plan it for another year. Getting you back at full strength, so we could truly make a run at this thing is what's important because you are that valuable.
"I believe a guy like Aaron Rodgers should be thinking the same way, and it's great to be competitive, great to believe, it's great to want to do things. And then there's the other side of being smart. Aaron Rodgers needs to be smart, because this team, if you keep a lot of these players next year, can absolutely make a run with him healthy."
What happened to Aaron Rodgers?
Disaster struck early for the New York Jets in the 2023 season, as they lost the quarterback they hoped to have for a long time in just four plays.
It's a devastating start for the season that, many hoped, would end the 12-year playoff drought that the Jets are suffering, which is the longest streak in the league. New York split its first two games, with a home win against the Buffalo Bills and an away loss against the Dallas Cowboys.
The Jets will play the New England Patriots in Week 3 with Zach Wilson as the starter.