New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers announced Tuesday that he will not return to play this NFL season after undergoing surgery in September for a torn Achilles tendon.
Though the Jets were mathematically eliminated from the playoffs with Sunday’s loss to Miami, Rodgers said that “if I was 100 percent today, I’d be definitely pushing to play.”
The 40-year-old quarterback has been intent on returning faster than any player in league history from such an injury.
But he acknowledged that it was “unrealistic to think that I would be 100 percent to be medically cleared at any point during the regular season.”
“There’s always a fear about rerupture if you’re going too fast,” Rodgers explained. “But this allows me to — I’m not going to slow my rehab down. I’m going to keep attacking it every single day.”
Rodgers was willing to take the risk and play if the 5-9 Jets still had postseason hopes. He would have tried 11-on-11 reps in practice this week to test the Achilles in hopes of suiting up Sunday against Washington.
Ultimately he decided, along with the team, that returning for the final three meaningless games made little sense.
The veteran quarterback remains upbeat about the Jets’ future, offering strong praise for coach Robert Saleh, GM Joe Douglas, and offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett.
Calling this “kind of a lost year,” Rodgers stated his intention to play at least two more seasons in New York.
“I feel like I can play more years and I can be effective into my 40s, which is crazy. I want to be a starter at 40. I want to be a starter at 41,” he insisted. “I want to see what I can get out of this body.”
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