Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers cautioned Friday that a lot of things have to go right for him to return in 2017.
Rodgers told fans to “temper expectations” and any return would come down to how well his broken collarbone heals.
“It’s going to come down to the bone healing. That’s the most important thing,” Rodgers said Friday, via Mike Spofford of the Packers’ official website. “There won’t be a decision made until that bone is healed, so it’s not even a conversation if it’s not where it needs to be.”
Rodgers has no concerns over a long-term recovery, but he won’t force the issue if the bone is not healing quickly enough.
“I’m always positive,” Rodgers said. “It comes down to how fast the bone heals. If it heals and we’re in the right position, then there’s a conversation. If the bone isn’t healed, there’s absolutely no conversation to be had.”
It sounds like Rodgers is progressing fine, but it’s clear that nobody can really predict how quickly or how well the bone will heal. He won’t return until Week 15 at the absolute earliest, and that’s probably optimistic — if he returns at all in 2017.
