If Aaron Rodgers’ recovery from his torn Achilles reaches a point where he’s ready to play, the Jets won’t hold him back.
“Aaron’s a big boy,” Robert Saleh said Wednesday before the Jets’ walkthrough. “Grown man. And no one’s gonna know Aaron’s body like Aaron knows his body. … If Aaron says he wants to play, he’s gonna play.”
It was an answer that echoed what Saleh said Sunday night, a few hours after NBC’s Melissa Stark reported that Rodgers pinpointed a mid-December return from an injury that’s typically season-ending.
Stark cited Rodgers’ doctor, who included “good surgery” and “good patient” as reasons for why the improbable recovery has actually become possible.
Rodgers said Tuesday during his appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” that he plans to return around the Jets full-time near Thanksgiving — as opposed to just being a sideline fixture for games.
The Jets have changed their system with Zach Wilson at quarterback, and Saleh added it’ll be beneficial for Rodgers to attend meetings and reincorporate a veteran presence for Gang Green’s inexperienced offense.
They could gradually start uncovering some of the nuances reserved for Rodgers, too.
But Rodgers’ ultimate return could hinge on where the Jets sit in the AFC’s playoff picture.
That’s been the case since he sustained the injury four offensive snaps into the season, had surgery, declared his plan to defy negative outlooks for making a 2023 return and then added the caveat — which could loom large amid the Jets’ recent skid — shortly after.
Entering Sunday’s Week 11 game against the Bills, they’re 4-5 and 13th in the AFC, and the offense with Wilson as signal-caller hasn’t scored a touchdown in 11 quarters plus an overtime.
That prompted the Jets to start making changes this week — though not with Wilson or offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett — by releasing running back Michael Carter and opening additional snaps for rookie Israel Abanikanda.
But the Jets player whose return could provide a true spark continues rehabbing.
Rodgers threw passes that traveled as far as 58 yards before the Jets’ “Monday Night Football” loss to the Chargers on Nov. 6.
He has been cautious about accelerating the return timeline too quickly in interviews since, but Sunday’s mid-December outlook — and Saleh’s reiteration that the decision essentially rests in the hands of Rodgers and the doctors — provided a concrete glimpse at what the rest of their regular season could resemble.
“The pressure is to keep it afloat just to keep [the season] afloat,” Saleh said. “That pressure to go to the playoffs, there’s always pressure. It’s not for any one individual. It’s not for any possibility.
“It’s because we’re competitors and we want to win football games, and I think Aaron’s just icing on the cake.”
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