Aaron Rodgers has made clear his intention to be back on the field for the New York Jets this season. And if Rodgers is medically cleared to do so, head coach Robert Saleh said he won’t stand in the future Hall of Fame quarterback’s way.
“Aaron’s a big boy, a grown man and no one’s going to know Aaron’s body like Aaron knows his body,” Saleh said at a press conference on Wednesday. “And if he feels, after all the doctors clear him, and I’m sure there’s a million of them—I have no idea on that stuff—but if Aaron says he wants to play, he’s going to play.”
The four-time MVP tore his left Achilles tendon just four offensive snaps into New York’s season-opening win over the Buffalo Bills on September 11. Rodgers underwent surgery two days later. And the weeks since have seen the 10-time Pro Bowler attempt an accelerated recovery from what is usually a season-ending injury.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers of the New York Jets, left, talks with head coach Robert Saleh on the sidelines in the game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday night in Las Vegas, Nevada. Saleh offered an update on Rodgers’ comeback.SEAN M. HAFFEY/GETTY IMAGES/GETTY IMAGES
Saleh’s latest comments on the matter come a day after Rodgers reiterated his desire to be back under center sometime soon.
Rodgers said Tuesday during his weekly appearance on The Pat McAfee Show that he expects to be back with the team full time—for meetings and other team activities—around Thanksgiving. NBC’s Melissa Stark reported on Sunday that Rodgers, who turns 40 on December 2, is targeting a mid-December return to the field—roughly three months removed from his surgery.
Rodgers has since disputed that there’s an official timeline in place. And New York’s performance over the next few weeks could determine if one is set.
“There’s no set date,” Rodgers said to McAfee on Tuesday. “It could change. If I have a great week this week and next week, that could be accelerated. If we are not in it in three or four weeks, that could take it a different way, but I expect us to be in it and I expect to come back, so that’s about all I can tell you at this point.
“We’ve got to be in the mix, and I’ve got to be healthy, and I definitely still want to come back.”
The Jets enter Week 11 at 4-5. As Rodgers alluded, New York will have to hang around the playoff picture to warrant the risk of his comeback. And that will be easier said than done. Saleh’s team is one of 14 with at least four wins in a crowded AFC. And the Jets have lost two games in a row and will soon face their AFC East-rival Bills (5-5) and Miami Dolphins in a span of six days.
Sign up for Newsweek’s daily headlines
Without Rodgers, the Jets rank 30th in the league in points and 29th in yards. After the team’s most recent loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, wide receiver Garrett Wilson said the Jets held a players-only meeting.
“The guys talked, and we had the floor,” Wilson said on Tuesday’s Bart & Hahn Show. “It was just us. We got to make sure we’re all on the same page about where we’re at and how the hell we get out of this funk, man. That was really the message. When it comes from one of your teammates, it always hits different. It always resonates a little bit more.”
Rodgers’ desire to play again this season once seemed far-fetched.
No NFL player has ever come back from Achilles surgery in less than five months, according to ESPN. But Rodgers has been walking without crutches or an orthopedic boot frequently during his public appearances. And he has even been throwing a football around during pregame warmups ahead of recent Jets games.
All this talk on a looming Rodgers return, and the Jets needing to win to make it happen, doesn’t provide the team with any more pressure, Saleh said. Because there’s enough of that already.
“The pressure to keep the season afloat is just to keep it afloat,” Saleh said. “The pressure to go to the playoffs is always pressure. It’s not for any one individual. It’s not for any possibility. It’s for competitors who want to win football games, and I think Aaron’s just the icing.”
