There was a lot of joy among Green Bay Packers supporters when Aaron Rodgers was dealt to the New York Jets since it meant the team would have two first round picks in 2024. Naturally, that required Rodgers to play 65% of the offensive snaps in New York, which didn’t seem like a very high percentage.
But it was not to be. Four snaps into his time with the Jets, Rodgers tore his Achilles, ultimately terminating his season and giving the Packers the right to New York’s 2024 second-round pick rather than their first-round pick.
However, New York has remained competitive, and Rodgers has vowed to play again this season even though everyone else wrote off him and the Jets in 2023. It would be amazing if Rodgers returned in 2023 at the age of 39 (nearly 40).
Achilles tendon ruptures usually require six to twelve months for the patient to heal. That would have put Rodgers on schedule to recover in time for OTAs and other early summer exercises, as he tore his back in September. In the best of circumstances, that is. That schedule also suggests that he might not return until after the 2024 season has begun or even not until training camp.
However, in a relatively short amount of time, Rodgers went from walking with crutches to throwing without any form of help, boldly proclaiming, “Watch what I will do.”
His most recent Instagram post has some questioning if he even has a date in mind, as many began to question whether he could ever return to the pitch in 2023:
