Aaron Rodgers Teases Potential Return to Jets for Playoffs

Aaron Rodgers' debut with the New York Jets was surrounded by hype in the lead-up to the 2023 NFL season. But just four plays into the Jets' first game, Rodgers'—and the team's—plans for the season were abruptly upended after the Super Bowl champ tore his Achilles' tendon.

A torn Achilles is usually a season-ending injury as it takes several months to get back to full field-ready mobility. Still, while Rodgers has been benched this season, he's hinted at a possible return to the turf if his recovery continues to go well.

Rodgers just gave an update on his healing and discussed the possibility of rejoining the team for the playoffs this year on The Pat McAfee Show. Now that he's been able to focus on recovering for a few months, he's looking forward to the next step in the process.

"There's a natural progression here to the rehab, and that's going to involve actually getting back onto the field to start to do some things that are more football-related," he explained. "We're not where I can make a decision on playing, because health-wise I'm improving steadily, but I'm not [with the] ability to play at this point."

When examining whether he should join for the playoffs, Rodgers admitted he has to ask himself some important questions.

"'Can I help the team and not hurt the team by being back out there? Can I protect myself? Can I move around and do all the things I want to do?'" he wondered. "If the answer is yes, then we move in that direction. If the answer is no, I gotta listen to my body."

"It's health first," he emphasized.

On Nov. 29, the Jets cleared Rodgers to participate in practice, just three months after his Achilles injury threatened to end his season.

With a losing record so far this season, the Jets certainly have their work cut out for them to make it into the playoffs in the first place.