Aaron Rodgers hints at timetable for return during postgame exchange with Derwin James

Aaron Rodgers must live for these pre-game moments, the ones where he shows off how much progress he’s made with his surgically repaired left Achilles.

There he was during pre-game of Monday Night Football, taking some casual three-step drops before whistling the ball deep downfield. But he wasn’t dressed in his Jets uniform. Rather, he’d put on one of those $100 brown sweatshirts the NFL produced for a salute to the military. Whether Aaron Rodgers comes back this season and puts on a game jersey now is at least a topic on sports talk shows if not amongst Jets personnel.

Chargers safety Derwin James walked up to Rodgers after the game and asked the new dean of NFL quarterbacks: “When you coming back, man?”

Rodgers told him “Give me a few weeks.”

“Give me a few weeks.”

This convo between Aaron Rodgers and Derwin James 👀 pic.twitter.com/Zh4fasl9yr

— ESPN (@espn) November 7, 2023

Aaron Rodgers didn’t appear to have a limp in pre-game

Aaron Rodgers 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.

And if we take it back two months, Rodgers tore his Achilles on the fourth play from scrimmage on Monday Night Football as he was being rushed by the Buffalo Bills.

Rodgers has a standing weekly gig on The Pat McAfee Show, where he’ll update his injury progress. Earlier, he said: “It’s pretty obvious I’m well ahead of the normal protocols when it comes to rehab for this kind of thing. [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.”

He’s doing his rehab in California and is flying back to watch Jets games. That way, he can be supportive, while acting as a player coach (albeit one who isn’t playing).

However, maybe Aaron Rodgers should aim for the start of next season for his return. It’s dangerous to be a Jets quarterback right now. The Jets offense can’t move the football under quarterback Zach Smith. And Smith took a beating — the Chargers sacked Smith eight times in their 27-6 win. Smith attempted 49 passes, but couldn’t get it into the end zone, even for a garbage-time touchdown.