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Jets’ Aaron Rodgers Admits He’s Not 100% As Practice Window Nears End

The New York Jets must decide by Wednesday whether to activate their star quarterback or leave him on injured reserve for the rest of the 2023 NFL season.

Tom Dierberger

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It doesn’t sound as if Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers will return to game action this season.

Although Rodgers isn’t yet ruling himself out for the year, he hinted that will be the case while updating the status of his rehab from surgery to repair his torn right Achilles tendon Tuesday on The Pat McAfee Show.

“It was unrealistic to think that I would be 100% to be medically cleared at any point during the regular season,” Rodgers said. “I do feel like in the next three to four weeks it would be very possible to get to 100%, but obviously I’m not there.”

The Jets opened Rodgers’s 21-day practice window in late November for the four-time NFL MVP to potentially return from injured reserve. He participated in 7-on-7 drills at Jets practice and even intercepted a pass while playing linebacker on the scout team last week.

Rodgers’s 21-day practice window expires Wednesday, meaning the team must decide whether to activate him or leave him on injured reserve for the rest of the season.

Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers stands on the sidelines.
Despite an impressive recovery from a torn Achilles tendon, Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers says he doesn’t feel 100% yet :: Sam Navarro/USA TODAY Sports

Rodgers’ return from an Achilles tear sustained in Week 1 would have been unprecedented. He stated several times that a return only would happen if he was deemed healthy and the Jets remained in the playoff hunt.

New York officially was eliminated from playoff contention Sunday after an ugly 30–0 loss to the Dolphins. And Rodgers isn’t quite 100%, meaning the quarterback likely will shift his focus to 2024 training camp.

“If I was 100% today, I’d definitely be pushing to play,” Rodgers said.

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Tom Dierberger
TOM DIERBERGER

Tom Dierberger is a staff writer and editor on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in November 2023 after stints at FOX Sports, Bally Sports and NBC Sports. Dierberger has a bachelor's in communication from St. John's University. In his spare time, he can be seen throwing out his arm while playing fetch with his dog, Walter B. Boy.

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