When it comes to the possibility of Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers playing again this year, coach Robert Saleh isn’t going to be the one to burst the bubble.
Appearing on NFL Network earlier today, Saleh elaborated on Rodgers’s obsession with returning in 2023.
“I’m one of those guys searching, like, ‘Is he supposed to do this?’” Saleh said, via NFL.com. “I’ve coached Richard Sherman, who was coming off his Achilles. I’ve got friends who have had Achilles injuries, and what he’s doing, according to them, is absolutely ridiculous. For him to be walking already, I wouldn’t put anything past him. He is a big believer in manifestation; you are who you think you are, and you become what you think about. He is willing himself to return faster than what you’re supposed to be.”
Some have wondered whether the injury was truly a full tear of the Achilles, given that he’s walking around normally less than five weeks after surgery. Even if it was only a partial tear, what he’s doing is remarkable.
“I think he’s fueled by doubt -- I don’t think, I know -- he’s fueled by doubt,” Saleh said. “The more you doubt him, the more fuel he has. He’s on a mission. There’s one thing I’ve learned about him, in my very short time with him, is that when he’s got something on his mind and he wants to prove something, he’s going to prove it. So, a lot of people can doubt him, but I’m not doubting him. We’re leaving the door open for him but it’s amazing to see how hard he’s been working and the intent at which he’s been doing it.”
It’s unclear how many people are truly doubting him. But if negative external influences motivate Rodgers more than internal factors (and, regardless of what he says, he definitely seems to be more influenced by proving others wrong than proving himself right), so be it.
Will he return this year? Who knows? If/when he’s ready to go, the question becomes finding the right time to make the switch from Zach Wilson back to Rodgers. Especially if Wilson, who has gone from persona non grata to potential savior in just a few weeks, keeps improving and the team keeps winning without Rodgers playing.
They’re 3-3 without Rodgers. That was the best-case scenario through six weeks with him. Along the way, they’ve beaten both the Bills and the Eagles.
So maybe the real motivation for Rodgers isn’t to prove the doubters wrong, but to get back under center this year — before the Jets potentially develop to the point at which they might begin to wonder whether they need him next year.
