New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers has opened up about his injury struggles, revealing that he is still experiencing some trouble with his Achilles after undergoing surgery.
The veteran player, who turned 40 this season, made a comeback for the Jets following an early exit from the 2023 season after sustaining an injury in the team's Week 1 victory over the Buffalo Bills. Initially, there was speculation that Rodgers could have returned towards the end of the previous season; however, with the Jets' playoff hopes diminishing early and backup Zach Wilson struggling, the decision was made to allow the four-time NFL MVP extra recovery time.
Despite a strong start to the current season, sitting second in the AFC East with a 2-1 record and looking ahead to a promising game against the Denver Broncos on home turf, Rodgers' latest admission concerning troubles with his Achilles has raised some eyebrows among fans and analysts alike.
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Referring to his progress, Rodgers remarked,:"I can't say I'm bereft of some difficulties with the Achilles, but it's a process," highlighting his steady improvement from Week 1 to Week 3. He further noted, "I feel better [from] Week 1 to Week 2, Week 2 to Week 3, and then we got a nice little gift there with the long weekend, so I feel better.
"I said after Week 1 I felt like I was going to progress and be able to move around a little bit more, I did that maybe a little bit against Tennessee and then obviously moved around a lot more effectively in Week 3."
After their tussle with Denver this weekend, the New York Jets are gearing up for a challenging series of games, including a face-off with the Minnesota Vikings in London on Oct. 6, followed by tough matches against the Buffalo Bills and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The team is riding high after their convincing 24-3 victory over the New England Patriots. Post-match, Aaron Rodgers shared his enthusiasm.
"I was feeling real good out there," he said following the triumph over their division rivals. "I felt good pregame and I've been progressing. Once I feel more comfortable and this was kind of the first step and playing like I know I'm capable of playing. It felt like I was myself quite a few years ago."
Jets offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, who teamed up with Rodgers last season, is thrilled to have a fully fit quarterback for 2024, despite Rodgers being sidelined for the entirety of the 2023 season.
Hackett praised Rodgers' performance: "He did good. He did good," but noted that there's room for improvement. "Still, you know, I think there's so much improvement across the board for our offense that we need to have, and we just got to get a little better each week. And I think that we took a little step last week."
Reflecting on Rodgers' return, Hackett said, "I mean, it had been a long time since he played football, since he had gone out there in front of a crowd, and so I just wanted to continually get comfortable."
