Is Aaron Rodgers’ 2023 debut season with the New York Jets truly over? Maybe not.
On Monday, Rodgers suffered a torn Achilles in the Jets’ season opener against the Buffalo Bills. Initially, it was reported that the four-time league MVP would be done for the remainder of the season.
But according to a stunning new report from Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, Rodgers is actually eyeing a return to football in January, should the Jets qualify for the postseason:
“New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers is targeting an improbable playoff return from his torn Achilles after undergoing an innovative surgery on Wednesday in Los Angeles — a procedure designed to accelerate the normal rehabilitation process from such an injury.
Sources say renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache and his team performed a procedure to place an internal brace — called an Achilles “speed bridge” — on Rodgers’ fully torn left Achilles, which he ruptured just four snaps into Monday’s game against the Bills. While there are no guarantees, the speed bridge protects the repair and opens up the possibility of an earlier return, sources say.
It’s a relatively new process designed to have an athlete fully recovered in as little as four months from what is normally a season-ending injury, per sources informed of the procedure. It also could potentially give Rodgers at least a shot to be ready to return in mid-January, right around the start of the playoffs if the Jets qualify for the postseason.”
A torn Achilles can take up to a year for an athlete to fully recover from, and even longer in some cases. But if all goes according to plan for Rodgers, who turns 40 years of age in December, he’ll have completed one of the all-time great comeback stories.
The Jets managed to squeak out a 22-16 overtime victory against the Bills in Week 1. They’ll try to improve to 2-0 on the young season when they visit the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.
