Rodgers: 'Nothing normal' about Achilles rehab amid desire to return this season

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers maintains his desire to return this season just three weeks after undergoing surgery to repair a torn Achilles.

"There's nothing normal about how I'm attacking this rehab," Rodgers said on "The Pat McAfee Show" during his weekly appearance. "There is common practices about (there being) six weeks in a boot, and I was in a shoe in like 13 days."

Rodgers added that he plans to "attack this rehab as hard as we can and then see where we're at in a couple months. And, obviously, I'd like us to be alive and winning for that even being in the conversation."

The Jets (1-3) are currently near the bottom of the AFC East standings, with their only victory coming in their season opener against the Buffalo Bills. Rodgers sustained the injury on just the fourth play of that game, his regular-season debut with New York.

Recovering from an Achilles injury like Rodgers' would typically take six-to-nine months, with some experts saying that it's possible to return in four-to-five months, according to ESPN's Rich Cimini. However, Rodgers said that he's "been making" his own timetables for recovery.

The 39-year-old Rodgers, who's among the oldest players in the league, says that he's trying to be "as smart as possible" while he continues to push hard to return to the field, per Cimini.

The four-time MVP will resume his rehab program in California this week before rejoining the team for the remainder of the season following New York's Week 7 bye.

Quarterback Zach Wilson turned in his best performance in Week 4 against the Kansas City Chiefs since assuming the starting role following the injury to Rodgers. He completed 28 of 39 passes for 245 yards and two touchdowns in Sunday's loss. Rodgers shared that he liked what he saw from Wilson as the game developed.

Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.