Aaron Rodgers, appearing on the Pat McAfee show, detailed the highs and lows of his first night as a Jet, one that ended after just four snaps due to a torn Achilles.
“Monday was an amazing day to start and it was an amazing night running on the field with the flag,” Rodgers said. “It was electric. It then turned into one of the toughest 24 hour stretches that I've ever had in my life, for sure. Lot of sadness, lot of tears, lot of dark frustration and anger…but the sun rose the next day, and I found myself in LA, had surgery on Wednesday, since then, I’ve been feeling better.”
Rodgers said he knew he tore his Achilles as soon as he fell back onto the turf at MetLife Stadium after being sacked by Leonard Floyd. An MRI confirmed the injury, ruling the future Hall of Famer out for the rest of the season.
Or, perhaps not.
A return from an Achilles injury is a grueling and extensive recovery process, one that can typically take almost a year to come back from. There have been outliers, like Cam Akers, who returned to the field as a running back in less than six months after going under the knife with the same doctor who operated on Rodgers. Of course, Akers was significantly younger than Rodgers, at just 22 years old, but Rodgers isn’t ruling out a much quicker recovery than the traditional 9-12 months.
“I’ve known about this rehab. I know friends and fellow competitors who have done it and come back from it,” Rodgers said. “I think what I’d like to say is, give me the doubts. Give me the timetables, all the things you think can, would or should happen. All I need is that one little extra percent of inspiration. Give me your doubts. Give me your prognostications, and then watch what I do.
“There’s been some guys with some interesting timetables on Achilles returns. We’ll see what happens. There’s a process, there are certain markers you have to hit…I’m gonna try and push this thing as much as it will allow me to...What I've already put together is a pretty damn good rehab plan that'll shock some people"
Asked directly if that meant he was eyeing a potential playoff return for the Jets, Rodgers didn’t rule it out.
“I’m not gonna make any of those statements. I don’t feel like that’s fair to myself,” Rodgers said. “I think, as Kevin Garnett said, anything is possible.”