Aaron Rodgers’ return to the Jets could be a pre-Christmas miracle.
After originally planning to return to the practice field next week with a target of playing Christmas Eve against the Commanders, Rodgers told local media Thursday that he felt good enough in his recovery from a torn Achilles to speed up his timetable by one week.
He practiced Wednesday for the first time and hasn’t yet ruled out playing Dec. 10 against the Texans or Dec. 17 against the Dolphins.
“Anything is possible,” Rodgers said.
But Rodgers reiterated that the Jets (4-7) need to be alive in the playoff race.
Unlike when he returned from a knee injury to play in meaningless games for the Packers at the end of the 2018 season because he felt fully healthy and obliged to interim head coach Joe Philbin, Rodgers said that playing before the four-month mark (Jan. 11) would be a bigger risk this season.
“A comeback this year before the four-month mark would mean I’m not 100 percent,” Rodgers said. “So it would be a risk for myself to even sign off on. If we are out of it, I would be surprised if [Jets and doctors] would OK that comeback.”
The risk of re-injury would not alter Rodgers’ plans to return next season.
“My thing is, what’s the worst that can happen? Something unfortunate again,” Rodgers said. “Then you just slow the rehab down. By my own timetable, if you take the rehab slower and a little more deliberate, five months, six months max, is probably the length to get back to 100 percent if you take it slow. In my opinion, there’s not a downside to coming back and reinjuring it.”
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