Aaron Rodgers gave Joe Burrow advice for injured calf

Aaron Rodgers still is impacting the NFL, even as he’s sidelined with a surgically-repaired Achilles. After all, when Joe Burrow was struggling with his calf injury, he turned to the Jets QB.

Rodgers’ advice went a long way in helping Burrow gut it out through a 19-16 win against the Rams.

“He’s dealt with calf issues his whole career,” Joe Burrow told reporters. “And (Burrow) wanted to use him as a resource and get his thoughts, what he might have done.”

Burrow added: “He’s been through it, done that. And he was great about it.”

Now, Burrow didn’t reveal details about what Rodgers told him. But we’re sure Rodgers had all sorts of advice. After all, the 39-year-old has dealt with calf strains for most of his entire career. Back in 2014, when he was entrenched as the starter for the Packers. Rodgers strained his calf towards the end of the season. It still bothered him through the playoffs, including in a memorable NFC title game against Seattle, the then-defending Super Bowl champions.

In fact, Rodgers most recently strained his calf during Jets OTAs this spring. It was a minor setback. No one knew then that the quarterback would tear his left Achilles on the fourth offensive snap of the regular season.

Joe Burrow strained his early in training camp. After missing team drills for six weeks, doctors cleared Burrow to practice, then play. But Burrow, who agreed to the largest contract in NFL history earlier this month, has struggled. So have the Bengals. They started the year 0-2. Burrow retweaked the strain. But rather than missing action, the quarterback opted to keep playing. The Bengals definitely aren’t back to their powerhouse selves. But Burrow’s 259 yards against the Rams represented a season high.

Rodgers is back to doing his weekly appearance on The Pat McAfee Show. And this week, he mentioned the conversation he had with Joe Burrow.

“For him to tough it out, I don’t think that people realize how much pain and limited mobility he was in,” Rodgers said. “But for him to gut it out (Monday) night and to make enough plays to win, like I texted him, that’s what great competitors do. They show up and play through the pain and don’t make it a big deal.”

Joe Burrow and the Bengals return to the field Sunday in a game on the road against the Titans. If Burrow needs Rodgers, he’s just but a text away.