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Could New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers be back full time by Thanksgiving? It seems like a reach, given how long Achilles injuries typically take to recover from, but the quarterback himself is betting that he will be back around the holiday.
Making an appearance on the “The Pat McFee Show” Tuesday, Rodgers said “I’m gonna be back there full time real soon.” When asked if this was breaking news, Rodgers said, “No, that’s always been the plan. The plan has been, once we got to Thanksgiving, was to be back there full time.”
Everyone else on the show seemed surprised at this prediction, while Rodgers was very casual about it.
Keep in mind Thanksgiving is just nine days away. Now he did not explicitly say, “I’ll be playing in a game” around Thanksgiving. Based on he’s recovering from a torn Achilles suffered in September, it is more likely “back” means in the building with the team full time and not on the field.
Rodgers’ recovery is already progressing a lot faster than originally expected. After going down just four offensive plays into the Jets season, it was expected he’d be lost for the entire season. Now a return doesn’t seem that out of reach, at least if you are asking Rodgers. The future Hall of Famer recently told NBC that he is targeting mid-December to return to playing with the team in an actual game. The matchup around then would be the Dec. 17 game against the Miami Dolphins.
CBS Sports HQ injury expert Marty Jaramillo estimated earlier this season that Rodgers is on track for a historic recovery. Jaramillo says Rodgers’ return goal is not out of the question by any means.
This would be a historically fast recovery, and Rodgers has already reached major milestones in shorter time than expected. He is often seen before Jets games throwing the ball around and dropping back for passes, something most people in his situation would not be doing already. Recently, he even ditched the cart that had been bringing him through stadiums and instead walked on his own.
Whether or not Rodgers can recover is one thing, but if he is healthy and the Jets are not in the playoff conversation, he and the team will have to decide if it is smarter to wait until next season to put him back out on the field.
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Author: Shanna McCarriston
November 14, 2023 | 4:10 pm
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