Aaron Rodgers all but ruled himself out for the rest of the 2023 NFL season on Tuesday during his weekly appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show."
The New York Jets quarterback has been out since Week 1 with a torn Achilles, and as the team has rotated through three other signal callers since the injury the possibility of Rodgers returning this season has been a big topic — one that he has mostly kept alive on a weekly basis.
With the Jets officially eliminated from playoff contention following Sunday's loss to the Miami Dolphins, Rodgers' earlier optimism was gone and he told McAfee that he is not 100 percent medically cleared to play yet and that it would take "three-to-four weeks" for him to get there.
"I do feel like in the next three to four weeks it would be very possible to get to 100%..
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) December 19, 2023
If I was 100% today I'd definitely be pushing to play" ~ @AaronRodgers12 #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/aBSqWSquVY
"If I was 100 percent today, I'd be pushing to play. But the fact is, I'm not," Rodgers said ... The whole time it's been hoping that we're still in it because it's unrealistic to think I'd be 100 percent at any point in the regular season."
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"I feel good about where I'm at now to at least there would have been a conversation about it. Now without a timetable to come back, obviously we can be as smart as we need to be."
During Rodgers' recovery, which Jets head coach Robert Saleh called "unbelievable" last week, the team opened up his practice window 77 days after surgery. He needed to be completely ready and activated by Dec. 20 otherwise he would have to remain on injured reserve for the rest of the season.
Rodgers and the Jets were scheduled to speak with his surgeon, Neal ElAttrache, on Tuesday for an update. That conversation likely wasn't optimistic, hence the downplaying of any return this season.
While his first season in New York has been forgettable, Rodgers said he doesn't think 2024 — which is the final year of his two-year deal with the Jets — will be his last year in the NFL.
"I don't think so. I felt like when i came here that i got a renewed passion and love for the game and everything has been amazing here. ... I wanted at least two years. I feel like this year is a lost year now that I only played a couple of snaps and wasn't able to go out there and prove what I'm capable of and see what we're capable of as a team. I don't think next year will be my last year. ... It's not a situation where we have to rebuild. We need to reload a little bit."
Rodgers, who turned 40 earlier this month, added that he wanted to play into his forties.
