Aaron Rodgers left NFL fans stunned on Sunday after he was seen dropping back and throwing the football at MetLife Stadium – less than two months after tearing his Achilles tendon.
The quarterback was expected to miss the entire 2023 season after suffering the nasty injury just a few snaps into his Jets debut on September 11.
But Sunday brought the clearest sign yet that Rodgers might defy medics’ expectations. The 39-year-old was seen putting weight on his left Achilles as he threw the ball on the field ahead of kick-off.
The footage was greeted with disbelief by some supporters on social media. ‘This is insane how he is moving,’ one wrote.
Another fan compared Rodgers to superheroes, writing: ‘Like Wolverine or Superman – either one he’s something else to be doing this so soon.’
Aaron Rodgers was seen dropping back and throwing the football at MetLife Stadium
‘This dude’s relationship with science is wild,’ Pat McAfee said in response to the footage
Aaron Rodgers gets some throws in at MetLife this morning pic.twitter.com/bdO8qsK9rQ
— Jets Videos (@snyjets) October 29, 2023
Former NFL player turned analyst Pat McAfee was also shocked by what he saw. Rodgers appears on The Pat McAfee Show every week and on Sunday, the former Colts punter wrote: ‘This dude’s relationship with science is wild.’
The 39-year-old still has some way to go before he returns to full fitness after tearing his left Achilles against the Bills last month.
Earlier on Sunday, Rodgers was seen walking without crutches once more but the quarterback still had a slight limp as he wandered into the Jets locker room.
He has made no secret of his aim to return to the NFL before the end of the season but only a few days ago, Rodgers admitted he had endured a ‘tough week of rehab’.
The 39-year-old still has some way to go before he returns to full fitness for the Jets
The quarterback was expected to miss the entire season after the injury in is Jets debut
‘It has been a tough week of rehab with some smaller gains and it’s been more of a grind the last week or so,’ Rodgers said. ‘I’m not walking without a limp yet.
‘I don’t quite have the strength in my calf to be able to walk without a limp yet. I am competitive, I want to be walking without a limp, so there is some frustration there.’
He added: ‘This is a tough rehab, for sure, because there’s so many little muscles that you got to wake up. Not just the calf muscles and foot muscles. Everything needs to work as a unit.
‘You’ve got to be careful walking too much with a limp. The goal isn’t to stretch the Achilles, the goal is to stress the Achilles.’
Without Rodgers, the Jets head into Sunday’s game with a 3-3 record. The Giants, meanwhile, are in need of victory having lost five of their opening seven games.
