When will Aaron Rodgers return? 4x NFL MVP gets clarity on Jets return
Aaron Rodgers continues to inch closer to a shocking recovery from a torn Achilles. The latest update is that the New York Jets quarterback has officially returned to practice, which bodes well for an eventual return to game action before the season is out.
His rehab and recovery has progressed at an unbelievable pace, and he has always maintained that he would return before the season ended, something no one else has ever done. Now, it's that much closer to being a reality.
Via the Jets' website, Rodgers said:
"This entire time I've said what I'd like to do rehab-wise. Neal, my doctor Neal ElAttrache, did kind of a newer, innovative surgery. I asked him if we could push it, if we could push it beyond the normal protocols. I've just wanted to do things quicker, smart, but quicker. It's just about being smart with the rehab and pushing it as much as I can and then backing off on the days that it doesn't feel good."
His return window is officially activated, as they've opened the practice window for Rodgers, Justin Hardee and Wes Schweitzer.
Is Aaron Rodgers going to return this season?
Despite the good news that Aaron Rodgers is somehow practicing again just 12 weeks after suffering a torn Achilles on his first drive as a New York Jets player, the return is still a ways away.
Even when players return from Injured Reserve, there's a gap between that date and the date they actually suit up. He has long been targeting the Week 16 matchup with the Washington Commanders, and that may still be an accurate timeline.
A lot of things can factor into his return, as the QB revealed on the Pat McAfee Show yesterday:
"First, am I healthy? And then are we alive? Are we in it? Are we playing good enough to make a run? Can I step in and protect myself and play at a level that I feel like I'm capable of playing? There's a natural progression here to the rehab."
The Jets may be dead in the water by then, thus negating the need for risk on Rodgers' part.