Aaron Rodgers argued that he could return earlier than Christmas Eve if his recovery continues to go well. "Anything is possible. It feels great to be on the practice field, but I'm not anywhere near ready to play," Rodgers told reporters on Thursday. The veteran QB was cleared for limited practice on Wednesday, giving the Jets 21 days to activate him from injured reserve. Rodgers will wait until next week to try practicing on back-to-back days. Furthermore, Rodgers will turn 40 this weekend.
For the time being, Tim Boyle will remain the Jets starter. "Yeah, we're giving Timmy another shot to roll next week. Obviously, there are things that he could've done better. There are things he had no control over, and I know he battled out there, and we were able to get to certain calls that we were hoping to do. We were able to execute a lot of the different things that we wanted to execute. It just didn't come to full fruition," head coach Robert Saleh told reporters.
Rodgers Return Dependent On Playoff Chances
However, Rodgers reiterated that his return depends on whether the Jets can still make the playoffs. "I don't think that would make a ton of sense. A comeback this year before the four-month mark would mean I'm not 100 percent healthy, so it'd be a risk for myself. For the team to sign off on if we're out of it, I'd be surprised if they would OK that to come back," Rodgers noted. Per ESPN, the 4-7 Jets have a less than 1% chance to make the playoffs. While a loss to Atlanta on Sunday wouldn't eliminate, it would put the team one loss away from elimination.
Furthermore, the Jets don't have the easiest schedule before Rodgers' preferred return. Their slate includes games against the surging Texans and the division-leading Dolphins. However, not everyone is a fan of Rodgers' decision to try and return this season. Chad Johnson pleaded with him to focus on recovery. Meanwhile, Stephen A. Smith told the QB to "sit your a-- at home." Despite this, Rodgers appears set on at least entertaining the possibility of an unprecedented recovery.
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