Aaron Rodgers not slowing down rehab amid Jets' struggles

Aaron Rodgers wants to keep his rehab going exactly the same, fast and efficient, in hopes for a return this season.

While Rodgers said he would only come back if the New York Jets were in contention for the playoffs and he was fully healthy, the recent struggles won’t slow him down. Whether he plays again in 2023 is a different story.

In his weekly spot on The Pat McAfee Show, Rodgers gave the latest on his recovery.

“I find those two are mutually exclusive,” Rodgers said of his recovery and the Jets’ success. “You know, my speed at which I’m doing the rehab has been kind of the same from the beginning. It’s push it as hard as we can every single day. And you know, as long as we’re not stretching the Achilles you know, we feel like we’re in a good place. So I’m thankful to Doc and Heather … But we’re gonna push it as far as we can.” 

At 4-6, the Jets aren’t out of it yet, but it hasn’t been good. The team announced it would bench Zach Wilson and start Tim Boyle at quarterback for the Black Friday game against the Miami Dolphins.

“Listen, there’s been some 4-6 teams that have made runs over the years,” Rodgers said. “Back in 2016. There was a team in the NFC North that people were counting out. They went on a run … won eight in a row and went to the NFC Championship.

“There was a team in 2009 in the Big Apple, New Jersey. They were 4-6, finished 9-7 and went to the AFC Championship game. So listen, the season is definitely not over. It’s not dead. There’s a lot left to play for.” 

Simply put, Rodgers wants to return and get healthy as fast as possible, as he’s said all along. Could he defy the norm of an Achilles recovery? It seems like he’s on his way. But it’s still a wait-and-see approach to see if he’ll play this year.

“I’m excited about where I’m at in my rehab,” Rodgers said. “And things are progressing as quickly as I thought they would once I’ve been able to jog on a treadmill and excited about getting back to the team and seeing where I’m at.”

With seven games remaining, the Jets need to make up ground with games against the Dolphins, Falcons and Texas over the next three weeks.

Rumors were that Rodgers was targeting December 2 for a return, but that might be premature. However, mid-December amid those rumors? Maybe not far-fetched.

But, for the Jets to make the playoffs, a run of 5-2 or 6-1 is what would likely get them to the postseason, Rodgers or not.