Aaron Rodgers returned to Jets practice this week, less than three months after the Jets quarterback suffered a torn Achilles. It’s the latest sign that Rodgers is on an unprecedented recovery track, considering most players with such injuries require anywhere from eight to 12 months of rehab. Why, exactly, is he doing this? Can the Jets still make a run? And what is A-Rod risking here?
Let’s try to unpack each of the pressing questions:
Why is Rodgers rushing to return?
Well, for one, he wants to play. There might not have been a more anticipated story going into the 2023 season than Rodgers relocating from the Packers to the Jets, instantly infusing New York with title aspirations. No one could’ve predicted his Gang Green debut would last just four snaps. At 39, admittedly close to the end of his career, it’s not hard to see why Rodgers would want to return sooner rather than later, especially if it means salvaging a playoff run in his first year with a new team.
But the question has now become, are the Jets even capable of restoration? At 4-7, having benched Rodgers’ hapless fill-in, Zach Wilson, for career No. 3 Tim Boyle, New York has less than a 1% chance of making the playoffs according to current SportsLine simulations. Only one team, the Patriots (2-9) is below the Jets in the current postseason standings, with seven others ahead of them in the race for the final AFC wild-card spot. So if Rodgers is still pressing to return, is he really doing it to save New York?
It’s certainly possible, even probable, Rodgers originally intended to defy the odds and resume play as a means of redeeming the season for both he and the Jets. But with New York such a long shot to make the dance, it’s not outlandish to argue he’s now primarily motivated to simply prove skeptics wrong. After repeatedly suggesting the Jets need to be “in the mix” to justify his return, Rodgers has recently decided he wants to…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/aaron-rodgers-returns-to-practice-jets-schedule-until-potential-return-risk-vs-reward-of-historic-recovery/
Author : Cody Benjamin
Publish date : 2023-11-30 19:55:20
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