Aaron Rodgers on potential return: 'Nothing's changed, I definitely still want to come back'

Aaron Rodgers still wants to come back and play for the New York Jets this season. However, the team has to be in the mix for a playoff spot and he has to be fully healthy.

It’s basically the same message he’s sent for weeks. He “wants to do something that’s never been done before.”

In his latest appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, Rodgers elaborated on his conversation with NBC’s Melissa Stark about a possible mid-December return.

“As far as what I talked to Melissa Stark about, I never said anything definitive,” Rodgers said. “She talked about having a conversation with my amazing doctor. She talked to my doctor about if it would be insane to try and come back in, you know, three months. And he responded about the fact that when you bring together a specific type of surgery with a specific patient with this specific amount of stubbornness and desire to get back on the field and obviously playing quarterback, then there’s a possibility. 

“But nothing’s changed as far as my timeline. It’s: we got to be in the mix, and I gotta be healthy and I definitely still want to come back.”

Rodgers also updated his rehab process, especially within the last two weeks with primetime games for the Jets as he traveled to Las Vegas this past weekend.

“You know, we had a Monday night game, so I was off Sunday, I flew a redeye,” Rodgers said. “Monday being able to move around, so that was more in the rehab mindset where I’m not just stationary all day and the previous weeks I’ve used kind of my flying day as my off day. 

“So this last week, Saturday, I got a great, long session to rehab in and flew to Vegas, dinner with DaVante (Adams), walked around a little bit … And then Sunday it was a complete off day. So on the off days, I really want to get myself completely off, like obviously I’m still walking and pacing the sidelines, but I need at least one day off every single week. So that was planned there.”

If Rodgers does come back, it’s only in the event of the Jets being in the mix. Currently, the team is 4-5 with two straight losses to the Los Angeles Chargers and Las Vegas Raiders.

With that, the Jets are a game behind the Houston Texans for the final spot, but in 13th place in the AFC with a bunch of others in the mix.