Aaron Rodgers makes admission about his Achilles rehab
Florham Park, NJ May 31, 2023 — Aaron Rodgers during the Jets OTA. Photo Credit: Chris Pedota, NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK
Aaron Rodgers has made it known that he wants to return this season from his torn Achilles, but the New York Jets star seemed to acknowledge on Tuesday that doing so could be even more difficult than he expected.
Rodgers discussed his ongoing rehab during his weekly appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show.” The quarterback said he is coming off a “tough week of rehab” and admitted he has been a bit frustrated.
“I don’t quite have the strength in my calf to be able to walk without a limp yet,” Rodgers said. “Again, based on normal timetables, I have to have some perspective here because I’m not on a normal protocol. However, I’m competitive and I want to be walking without a limp, so there is some frustration when you’re not quite all the way there yet.”
"I'm not walking without a limp yet..
I was joking that when I was flying back for the game on the 15th I assumed that I had left my crutches in the car..
By the time I got to the airport there were no crutches in the car & I have been walking since" ~ @AaronRodgers12 #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/qZry8dAak6
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) October 24, 2023
Rodgers said previously that he asked his surgeon, Dr. Neal ElAttrache, from the start if the 39-year-old would be able to “push it” with his rehab. Perhaps he felt he was not able to do that quite as much last week, which left him a bit discouraged.
The surgery Rodgers had on his torn Achilles was the same so-called “speed bridge” procedure that running back Cam Akers had prior to the 2021 season. Akers, who was with the Los Angeles Rams at the time, was cleared to play five months later. Rodgers is much older than Akers was at the time, which could factor into the recovery timeline.
Many were surprised to see what Rodgers did prior to the Jets’ upset win in Week 6, but he is still a long, long way from being cleared. It will be a while before we know how realistic it is for him to play again in 2023.