AP Photo/Doug Murray

Jets' Aaron Rodgers Activated Off IR amid Achilles Injury Rehab; Not Expected to Play

Erin Walsh

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers has officially been activated off injured reserve, the team announced Wednesday, but he will not suit up again this season amid his recovery from a torn Achilles.

"We're still going to keep him on the active. ... It's all part of his rehab," Jets head coach Robert Saleh told reporters. "Just having him on the field is a plus for everybody, for him and his teammates."

Gang Green opened Rodgers' 21-day practice window on Nov. 29 and had until Wednesday to activate him off injured reserve or have him sit out the remainder of the season.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Dec. 16 prior to New York's playoff-eliminating 30-0 loss to the Miami Dolphins that Rodgers playing again this season was considered a "long shot" and that even if he was activated off injured reserve that he would likely either be inactive as the third-string quarterback or just outright inactive.

Rodgers hinted that his 2023 season was over during his weekly appearance on the Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday.

"If I was 100 percent today, I'd definitely be pushing to play, but the fact is, I'm not," Rodgers said, as transcribed by John Breech of CBS Sports. "I'm still 14 weeks from my surgery. And being medically cleared as 100 percent healed is not realistic at 14 weeks."

The four-time MVP added that he thought he might be able to return if the Jets made the playoffs, but that returning to regular-season action was always considered a long shot.

"I think the whole time, it's been hoping that we're still in [the playoff race], because it was unrealistic to think that I'd be 100 percent medically cleared at any point in the regular season," Rodgers said. "I do feel like that in the next three to four weeks that it would be possible to get to 100 percent, but obviously, not there."

Rodgers had been working hard in his rehab in hopes of returning to the field this season after tearing his Achilles on New York's opening drive of the 2023 season, and initial reports indicated that he was eyeing a return to the field on Christmas Eve against the Washington Commanders.

However, the former Green Bay Packer acknowledged during a Nov. 28 appearance on the Pat McAfee Show that his decision on whether to return to the field would hinge on whether he was healthy and whether the Jets were in playoff contention.

Considering he's not fully healthy and the Jets are eliminated from the postseason, it's no surprise that Rodgers will remain on the sideline.

As for what his future holds, Rodgers, 40, hinted to McAfee on Tuesday that he's aiming to continue playing beyond the 2024 season.

"I don't think next year will be my last year," Rodgers said, per SNY's Connor Hughes. "We don't need to rebuild. We need to reload."

With a fully healthy Rodgers in 2024, the Jets will be aiming to clinch a playoff berth for the first time since the 2010 campaign.

   

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