17 October 2023 , 20:33
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New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers has again teased a potential early return from his Achilles injury.
Rodgers sustained a tear to his Achilles on just the fourth play on his NFL debut for the Jets in Week 1 of the 2023 regular season. The 39-year-old was set to be the starter for the Jets following his trade from the Green Bay Packers, but needed to be withdrawn in the early stages of the game against the Buffalo Bills.
Now Rodgers has begun the early stages of his rehabilitation, after the quarterback underwent surgery on his Achilles on September 13. Already, though, Rodgers is showing signs that he could return to the field sooner than many expected, with an initial diagnosis ruling him out for the remainder of the season.
Rodgers was on the field at the MetLife Stadium on Sunday before the game against the Philadelphia Eagles. The four-time NFL MVP was throwing a football with a teammate on the field and did not appear to have any support around his left heel.
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Following the game, Rodgers has now posted an update on his recovery from the injury on social media. In an Instagram post, Rodgers published two photos - one of him throwing a ball on the MetLife turf, and the other of him smirking at the camera.
The caption for the photos saw Rodgers simply write one word, which read: “Progress”.
Rodgers also appeared on The Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday, where he was asked about his outing at MetLife Stadium at the weekend. The veteran quarterback explained how it felt to be back on the field throwing a football for the first time since the injury five weeks ago.
"It was incredible to be back around the guys and I was really thankful to be back on the sidelines,” Rodgers said on The Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday. That was a special moment for me to be back on the field throwing a football.”
Rodgers added: "They’re just markers. You saw me walk without crutches and throw on the field. Another marker’s gonna be jogging. And then another marker’s gonna be going through a pregame workout, probably, and get on a practice field. All of these are gonna take time. There’s critical markers I have to hit."
With Rodgers out injured, the Jets reinstalled Zach Wilson as the team’s starting quarterback for the season. The former No.2 overall draft pick has played in all six NFL games for the Jets this season
Wilson has a QB rating of 37.4 with a pass completion of 60.4 percent in the six games so far this season. The 24-year-old has four total touchdown passes with five interceptions and is in line to continue his position as a starter in Week 8 against the New York Giants, following a bye week in Week 7.