Aaron Rodgers Announces Final Fate of His 2023 Jets Season
Aaron Rodgers will not be making a triumphant return to the Jets this season, after suffering an Achilles injury during the very first game of the season, which was also his first with New York. On Tuesday, the 40-year-old quarterback admitted that he would be out until next year.
He broke the news while giving an update on his recovery on The Pat McAfee Show, where he regularly makes paid appearances.
"I've been progressing steadily, once I was able to start jogging ... between the eight and ninth week, things had progressed pretty good," Rodgers explained. "I came out here right before Thanksgiving to continue my rehab and was able to get on the practice field in a limited fashion the last three weeks."
"I think the whole time it's been, you know, hoping that we're still in it, because it was unrealistic to think that I would be 100 percent to be medically cleared at any point during the regular season," he continued. "I do feel like in the next three to four weeks it would be very possible to get to 100, but obviously not there."
"If I was 100 percent today, I'd be pushing to play," he added.
"I do feel like in the next three to four weeks it would be very possible to get to 100%..
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) December 19, 2023
If I was 100% today I'd definitely be pushing to play" ~ @AaronRodgers12 #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/aBSqWSquVY
Rodgers injured his ankle on just his fourth offensive snap after being sacked by defensive end Leonard Floyd of the Buffalo Bills back on Sept. 11. Just weeks ago during another Pat McAfee appearance, he expressed hope that he might recover in time for the playoffs.
"Can I help the team and not hurt the team by being back out there? Can I protect myself? Can I move around and do all the things I want to do?" he asked on Nov. 28. "If the answer is yes, then we move in that direction. If the answer is no, I gotta listen to my body."
But while Rodgers career with the Jets has been short-lived, he plans on sticking around, at least for the foreseeable future. Later, when asked if next season would be his last, he said "I don't think so," noting that his move from Green Bay, where he spent 18 seasons, to New York had given him "a renewed passion for the game."