It had been a while since we were talking much about Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers, as media savvy as they come, changed that.
Rodgers, who blew out his Achilles tendon on the fourth offensive play of the New York Jets season, started putting it out there that he might return this season. Never mind that nobody has come close to that type of timetable from an Achilles tear, much less a quarterback who will turn 40 on Dec. 2.
But everyone seems to be humoring the notion that Rodgers might be back, and now that includes Jets coach Robert Saleh.
There are some careful words in this quote, but this is what Saleh said about Rodgers returning this season when asked on Wednesday.
"Aaron's a grown man," Saleh said, via Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic. "No one is going to know Aaron's body like Aaron knows his body. If he feels after the doctors clear him, if Aaron says he wants to play, he's going to play."
The key part in that might be "after the doctors clear him," because it's quite possible Saleh knows that isn't happening. It would be one of the most unbelievable medical returns in NFL history and it's probably best to not bet on that.
Yet, as long as Rodgers is talking about it and everyone wants to relay his message without much skepticism, the dream of Rodgers returning in December to save the Jets will be talked about.
The caveat is that if Rodgers has already decided he's not playing next season, then there's no fear in whatever would happen trying to return in record time for the end of the 2023 season. There would be no trepidation from the Jets in Rodgers suffering another injury, and it's not like they'd have any reason to not try. No matter how often Saleh defends Zach Wilson, the Jets have gone 36 straight possessions without a touchdown. Rodgers in a full leg cast on the field wouldn't be much worse. You can't blame Saleh for buying into the dream that he could have a Hall of Fame quarterback return late this season.
It's also smart to be very skeptical that this will actually happen. But as long as Rodgers keeps talking about it, he'll get plenty of media attention as he stands on the sideline.
