Aaron Rodgers sustained a significant injury during his first game as a New York Jet, but coach Robert Saleh says he’s already on the mend.
“He is on a mission. I don’t put anything past him,” Saleh, 44, told NBC Sports’ Peter King on Monday, October 16. “I’ve heard he’s absolutely dominating rehab and he really wants to get back this year.”
Ahead of the Jets’ game on Sunday, October 15, Rodgers, 39, was spotted walking without crutches and throwing passes with his teammates.
“Aaron was in our facility on Saturday,” Saleh continued. “I was talking to him. I was like, ‘So, what’s the deal? You gonna go up to the box tomorrow? Watch from the box?’ He goes, ‘No, I want to be on the field.’ I was like, ‘What about your ankle?’ He goes, ‘I’m fine.’ I was like, ‘K, whatever you want, buddy.’”
Rodgers tore his Achilles tendon last month during his first regular season game with the Jets since joining the team earlier this year. He underwent surgery days later and is not likely to return this season.
Later in September, however, Rodgers declared that he plans to return to football at some point in the future, even if he’s unable to get back on the field this season.
“I don’t wanna get caught into a timeline, I just want to get healthy,” he said during an interview on The Pat McAfee Show, noting that other players with similar injuries have come back anywhere from four to eight months later. “But I’m gonna do everything that I can rehab-wise to put myself in a position to be ready to play football again at some point. That’s the goal.”
Rodgers was traded to the Jets in April after 18 seasons with the Green Bay Packers following months of speculation that he planned to retire.
“I told a friend this is like waking up inside of a dream, this whole experience,” he told ABC News in August ahead of the NFL season’s first week. “A beautiful dream. So many times, you have a great dream and you wake up and you’re like, ‘I just want to get back into that thing.’ And you can’t quite get back into the dream. Well, I’ve woken up inside of that dream. It’s been really, really special.”
Less than one month later, however, his dream was cut short. “Thank you to every person that has reached out, called, texted, DM’d, connected through a friend, etc,” Rodgers wrote via Instagram after his injury prematurely ended his first season as a Jet. “It has meant a ton to me, and I’ll try and get back to all of you soon 🥹❤️. I’m completely heartbroken and moving through all of the emotions, but deeply touched and humbled by the support and love.”
