Aaron Rodgers has taken another step in his road to recovery, though it remains to be seen if he will step on an NFL field again this season.
The 39-year-old quarterback opened his 21-day practice window on Wednesday. The move comes less than three months after he tore his Achilles minutes into his New York Jets debut on Sept. 11.
An Achilles tear is almost always a season-ending injury for an NFL player, but Rodgers has maintained that there is a possibility that he could return from injured reserve and play again in 2023. He told NBC’s Melissa Stark “I know it sounds insane, but you do a good surgery, you have a good patient, it makes this possible” during a Sunday Night Football broadcast and said he was targeting a mid-December return.
Despite those aspirations, a 2023 comeback is no sure thing. The practice window could close in three weeks without Rodgers playing in a game, and head coach Robert Saleh explained that Rodgers “is not going to do anything to put himself in harm's way.”
“This isn’t so much getting ready to play as it is a progression in his rehab,” Saleh said.
Rodgers told “The Pat McAfee Show” on Tuesday that the Jets’ playoff chances will play a role in his decision to get back onto the field. New York is 4-7 on the season and has less than a 1% chance of making the playoffs, according to The New York Times’ NFL playoffs simulator.
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Next up for the Jets is a home matchup against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.
