Aaron Rodgers injury tracker: When will Jets QB return in 2023 NFL season?

New York Jets QB Aaron Rodgers only managed to play one offensive series before suffering what was expected to be a season-ending torn Achilles tendon. Despite the usual recovery timeline for a torn Achilles, Rodgers is under the impression that he can return at some point in the 2023 NFL season. It would be quite remarkable if Rodgers is able to be back and because of rumors and reports we’ll be tracking the latest injury updates.

Aaron Rodgers injury tracker

When will Jets QB return this season?

Nov. 15 — Jets head coach Robert Saleh talked to reporters on Wednesday and echoed his sentiment from Sunday night’s game vs. the Raiders. If Rodgers wants to play and is cleared, Rodgers is going to play. So unless Rodgers is just created some massive smokescreen, when he does return (way too early), it looks like Saleh won’t hold him back from starting at QB. That isn’t a tough thing to reiterate given how poorly Zach Wilson has been this season.

Nov. 13 — During the Raiders-Jets matchup on Sunday Night Football in Week 10, NBC sideline reporter Melissa Stark reported that Rodgers was looking at a possible return some time in December. Rodgers sustained the injury on Sept. 11 in Week 1. That would mean Rodgers is attempting to return from a torn Achilles in just three months or so. The timeline to return from major Achilles surgery is usually 8-12 months, if not more time. We see a lot of athletes miss an entire season calendar year before turning from such an injury.

Impact on Jets, fantasy football, more

Since Week 1, the Jets have been operating with Zach Wilson as the starting QB. That has gone just about exactly as expected through Week 10. The Jets are 4-5 on the season and appear headed toward not making the playoffs again. Wilson has a 74.6 passer rating through nine starts with just five TDs and six INTs. Wilson starting instead of Rodgers hasn’t had too much of a negative impact on fantasy football stud WR Garrett Wilson. It has seemed to impact RB Breece Hall with defenses honing in on him. Outside of those two, it’s been difficult to find anyone fantasy-relevant on the Jets with Rodgers out.

It remains ridiculous to expect Rodgers to return as early as he’s saying. If it does happen, so long as Rodgers is upright, he’s infinitely better than Wilson. That said, one low hit or wrong step and Rodgers could be out for even longer (perhaps even the rest of his NFL career). That could impact how the Jets’ offense approaches Rodgers’ return when/if the time comes this season. It could be beneficial for Hall if defenses stay honest with Rodgers under center.