Aaron Rodgers returned to practice earlier this week, less than three months after he tore his Achilles in the season opener for the Jets.
This move creates the expectation that the quarterback will return to action before the 2023 season ends. However, as each week goes on, that comeback begins to seem more unlikely, at least based on the latest report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport on Sunday.
Rodgers said earlier this season that he would probably not rejoin the team if the Jets aren’t in playoff contention. Rapoport reiterated this in his report, stating that Rodgers wouldn’t likely return until the 2024 season if the team were out of the postseason race.
As of Sunday, the Jets hold a 4–7 record, currently sitting in second-to-last in the AFC standings. New York would need to make a drastic turn and reel off a winning streak beginning almost immediately in order for Rodgers to be in a position to return. If the Jets lose to the Falcons on Sunday, Rodgers’s chance of return could drastically decline.
Rodgers’s possible return was initially slated to align with a Sunday, Dec. 24 matchup vs. the Commanders. He will need to be activated by Dec. 20 for this to happen.
