Aaron Rodgers has made a huge step in returning to the NFL field after tearing his Achilles tendon in the New York Jets’ season opened on Monday (September 11).
The 39-year-old former NFL MVP quarterback returned to practice today, less than three months after undergoing surgery to repair his tendon. Specifically, it has been 79 days since the injury happened, which is quite the quick recovery timeline. Most NFL players who injure their Achilles tendon do not play the rest of the season.
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Jets head coach Robert Saleh told reporters (via the NFL), “This isn’t so much getting ready to play as much as it is a progression in his rehab….In regards to certain drills, individuals, being able to throw it instead of staff members it’s teammates. So, there’s no added risk to it. There’s certain things that he’s been cleared that we are going to allow him to do. Aaron is not going to do anything to put himself in harm’s way.”
He continued, “I know we are getting caught up in trying to create a narrative around it. The true narrative is that he’s old school in a sense that’s he is driven. Is there a motivation to be the first to ever do it? Sure. That’s OK. That’s his why. It’s better than a lot of — it’s a mentality I think young guys should grasp to. He loves this organization. He wants to be with his teammates. He wants to be here. He’s sacrificed so much already for the organization, himself and his teammates. He’s doing it again. I think it’s a testament to who he is as a human.”
Just because the Jets are allowing him to practice does not mean he will return to the game this season.
Aaron said to ESPN this week, “I think the step is just getting back onto the field and doing some more real football things. Throw to my teammates and go through some individual part of practice. I think will be kind of the next step to see what my lateral movement is like, and after going through some of these more football-related moves, how do I respond? How does my leg respond to that?”
Here’s what Aaron said to those who think he faked his injury.
