Aaron Rodgers provides an update on his Achilles injury recovery

The presence of Aaron Rodgers on the sideline for the Jets’ Sunday Night Football matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs this past weekend was a sight to see after he suffered from a torn Achilles in the very first possession of his New York debut in Week 1.

Many were surprised to see how mobile Rodgers was following his serious injury, as he moved around freely on crutches while applying weight on his injured leg. And on the ‘Pat McAfee Show’ Tuesday, Rodgers provided an update on his recovery and rehab process.

“The first goal was really to be able to be upright, to be out of a boot, and to be able to do some semblance of walking by the time I got back,” Rodgers said. “I had this game circled on my schedule, I mean I couldn’t fly until I got cleared again last week with no blood clots, so coming to the Sunday night games was always on the agenda and that was the goal. So definitely met that one.”

Rodgers has the reputation of being an intuitive and forward thinker, and that same mindset has applied to his rehab journey with his Achilles, as he explained how he and Dr. Neal ElAttrache are working towards a recovery that may be speedier than usual for an injury as severe as the one he sustained.

“Now the next goal is to be able to walk without crutches, it’s pretty obvious I’m well ahead of the normal protocols when it comes to rehab for this kind of thing. But that was always what my mindset was and that was what Neal and I talked about in the locker room honestly after it happened,” Rodgers explained.

There’s no question that surgery and sports medicine have evolved significantly in recent history, but the odds are stacked against Rodgers after suffering an injury of this severity at the age of 39. But regardless, the four-time league MVP still has his sights set on making as speedy of a recovery as possible with a willingness to break the conventional norms and timelines that are associated with a torn Achilles.

And so far, it seems that he’s already doing so early in his rehab process.

“The type of surgery that he’d been doing now for a little bit and then whatever protocols were out there just not adhering to those,” Rodgers said. “Being as smart as possible and not trying to stretch the Achilles, but stressing the Achilles in a way that allows me to start doing movement quicker and to speed up whatever timeline kind of has been the standard for this type of injury.”