Seeing Aaron Rodgers throwing footballs pregame before his New York Jets take the field is still impressive, no matter how many times we’ve seen it over the last few weeks. The charismatic Rodgers has been seen walking around, talking to other players, laughing, and being himself as if he didn’t just suffer a major Achilles injury merely two months ago.
By all estimations, it looks as if Rodgers is way ahead of schedule, as these injuries can take upwards of a year to see a player come back from. With every 50-yard toss he is seen throwing, those watching can’t help but wonder just how close he may be to returning to the field.
While many heard Rodgers tell Los Angeles Chargers DB Derwin James that he was “a few weeks” away from returning, Rodgers took to The Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday to clarify the comments and shed light on his real timeline.
When Will Aaron Rodgers Be Back on the Field?
The “few weeks” comment to James seemed a little far-fetched and unrealistic to those who heard it. Rodgers confirmed that it was a bit of an ambitious timeline at this point. He told McAfee that the comment was made “tongue in cheek” and that it’s “not anywhere near a realistic timeline.”
Rodgers did, however, point to the fact that he is “definitely obviously ahead of schedule” but “a long way off from being under center.”
With all that being true, it makes it even more impressive that Rodgers looks to be seemingly living his life out on Sundays and Mondays as he chucks the football around with his teammates even after just having a serious procedure.
When Is a Realistic Return Point for Rodgers?
No one knows for certain, and there are many factors involved, but some have speculated that a return around Christmas may be a good starting point for discussion. Christmas is a little over six weeks away, putting Rodgers on the field just 15 weeks after rupturing his Achilles tendon in Week 1 of the season.
While this seems like a crazy timeline and something that surely has never been done before, Rodgers and his medical team believe they have attacked his issue with a cutting-edge technique that drastically speeds up the healing process — making this timeline possible in their minds.
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There’s a lot to be done between now and then, and the odds remain stacked against Rodgers and the team to get this done. Yet, no one seems to be ruling it out as a realistic possibility. That alone is pretty wild to think about.
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