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His ankle injury was supposed to be season-ending, but the question of is Aaron Rodgers playing today hangs on everyone’s lips because the veteran quarterback is making a record-breaking recovery.
Rodgers began his football career at Butte College in 2002 before transferring to the University of California for the Golden Bears. He would set several career records during that time, including the lowest single-season and career interception rates. In 2005, he was drafted to play in the National Football League by the Green Bay Packers as a backup for Brett Favre for his first three years. In 2008, he was Green Bay’s starting quarterback and by 2010, he’d led them to a Super Bowl Victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was awarded league MPV and named Associated Press’ Athlete of the Year in 2011.
But his move to the New York Jets was one of the biggest talking points of the 2022 football season. During a regular appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, Rodgers said his intention is to continue playing NFL but that “the Packers would like to move on. They’ve let me know that in so many words. They’ve let other people know that in direct words.” He continued: “And because I still have that fire and I want to play and I would like to play in New York, it’s just a matter of getting that done at this point.”
On Monday, September 11, 2023, the stage was set for Rodgers to reignite the Jets under his leadership, but after just four snaps, it was all over: he went down with an ankle injury after less than four minutes. However, maybe we spoke too fast because the Jets quarterback is making one hell of a recovery. Here’s if Aaron Rodgers is playing today.
Is Aaron Rodgers playing today?
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As of Sunday, October 22, 2023, Aaron Rodgers is not playing. But that’s not to say he won’t be back before the season’s end.
“He is on a mission. I don’t put anything past him. I’ve heard he’s absolutely dominating rehab and he really wants to get back this year,” Jets head coach Robert Saleh told NBC Sports’ Peter King as part of his “Football Morning in America” column. “That’s why getting wins like this and staying in it and staying in the hunt, giving him that opportunity to fulfill his mission, is so vital.” Saleh continued: “Everyone’s in awe that he’s even walking. He’s a freakazoid.”
Indeed, much to everyone’s amazement, Rodgers was back on the sideline during the Jets’ win over the Eagles on Sunday October 15. “Just to be back around the guys was incredible,” he said on the Pat McAfee Show the following Tuesday. “To be on the field without crutches, to be on the sidelines, to be on the headset, it made me feel like I wasn’t so separated from the team. That was a special moment for me to be able to feel a little bit more normal. The five weeks have been really tough not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually.”
Aaron Rodgers’ ankle injury
AARON RODGERS OF THE NEW YORK JETS REACTS AS HE SACKED BY LEONARD FLOYD OF THE BUFFALO BILLS.PHOTO : MICHAEL OWENS/GETTY IMAGES
As mentioned, Rodgers’ injury was such a huge shock to football fans on September 11, 2023, because the all-star quarterback was only on the field for four snaps during the season-opener against the Buffalo Bills before he went down. He’ll now miss the rest of the season as an MRI confirmed the all-star quarterback had torn his Achilles the following day.
“An MRI confirmed today that Aaron Rodgers officially tore his Achilles on the fourth play of his Jets’ career. Rodgers’ season now, officially, is over,” tweeted ESPN Senior NFL Insider Adam Schefter. “There already are questions about whether his Hall-of-Fame career is, too.”
He added: “Aaron Rodgers’ torn Achilles might be the most devastating injury to a team and fan base in NFL history. There never has been a player who received more off-season hype, who raised another team’s expectations more, who had his season end 4 plays in without ever completing a pass.”
On Monday night, coach Robert Saleh said the team believed Rodgers ruptured his left Achilles tendon when he was sacked by Buffalo’s Leonard Floyd and fell awkwardly during the Jets’ 22-16 overtime win over the Bills. Rodgers could be seen standing up for a few moments but needed help getting to the sideline. He was taken into the blue medical tent to be examined and then limped inside to the locker room.
“Concerned with his Achilles. MRI is probably going to confirm what we think is going to happen, so prayers tonight. But it’s not good,” a somber Saleh said, per AP. Saleh went on to explain that Rodgers would have an MRI on Tuesday, September 12 after X-rays during the game came back negative. “Personally, I don’t hurt for me, I don’t hurt for our locker room,” Saleh said. “I hurt for Aaron and how much he has invested in all of this. I’m going to say a prayer. I’m still going to hold out hope. But my heart’s with Aaron right now, nobody else.”
His teammate, Allen Lazard, who played five seasons with Rodgers in Green Bay, told reporters: “Obviously, just seeing how he responded to getting up and everything and limping off the field, it wasn’t anything good,” he said. “But honestly, it’s almost like comical just on how this whole offseason played out for him to go down the first game without even completing a pass and everything.”
The Achilles tendon—also known as the calcaneal tendon—is the largest tendon in the body, stretching from your heel bone to your calf muscle and it can handle about four times a person’s body weight. Almost one in four athletes will suffer an Achilles tendon injury in their lifetime.
“The classic sign of a ruptured Achilles tendon is feeling (and sometimes hearing) a pop or snap at the back of your ankle,” per the Cleveland Clinic. “People often mistakenly think something has hit them, but they’re actually feeling the tendon snap.”
