Aaron Rodgers Admits He Was Stringing Everyone Along During Latest Recovery Update

There are plenty of NFL fans who seemed to genuinely believe there was a chance Aaron Rodgers would be able to play for the Jets at some point before the end of the regular season, and now, the quarterback has finally admitted that was never in the cards following weeks of speculation.

When Aaron Rodgers tore his Achilles just a few plays into his debut with the New York Jets, it seemed like a foregone conclusion his season was officially over based on how long it’s taken virtually every single person who succumbed to a similar injury to recover from it.

While the “speed bridge” surgical approach that was used to address the issue did promise a comparatively shorter recovery window, the idea that the QB would be healthy enough to return four months after he went under the knife seemed patently absurd.

With that said, the current NFL season has featured a steady stream of reports concerning rumors and speculation about Rodgers and his supposed intent to defy expectations and decades of medical norms by suiting back up for the Jets at some point during the current campaign.

Now, it’s obviously worth noting a good chunk of those reports revolved around anonymous sources and “insiders” relaying information open to a fair amount of interpretation. With that said, Rodgers fueled the flames by not only declining to shut down the speculation concerning a potential return but teasing the possibility himself.

There are plenty of skeptics who’ve asserted Rodgers has only taken that approach to keep his name in the headlines as the Jets found themselves stuck in their latest downward spiral.

One of the most popular operating theories is that he’d claim he would’ve been healthy enough to stage a comeback in the playoffs if New York had been able to make the postseason (an unprovable “What If?” that would nonetheless make it seem like he did everything he could on his end)—and, well, it seems like he’s sticking to that particular script.

During his most recent appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, Rodgers said something most people would’ve probably liked to hear a few months ago when he admitted there was no chance he was ever going to be able to return for a regular season game.

Here’s what he had to say:

“I think the whole time it’s been hoping that we’re still in it because it was unrealistic to think that I would be 100% to be medically cleared at any point during the regular season. 

I do feel like in the next three to four weeks, it would be very possible to get to 100%.” 

Unfortunately (and conveniently), we’ll never know what could have been.