Aaron Rodgers offers more realistic timeline for NFL return, says vow to comeback in ‘a few weeks’ was a joke

Despite what the microphones captured injury New York Jets star Aaron Rodgers telling Chargers defensive back Derwin James Jr. after Monday night’s game, the quarterback will not return to the football field in merely “a few weeks.”

The four-time NFL MVP tore an Achilles tendon during the first game of the regular season. He has since undergone an innovative surgery that could accelerate the quarterback’s recovery time. Normally, Achilles injuries require anywhere from nine months to a year of recovery time.

During his weekly spot on “The Pat McAfee Show,” Rodgers revealed a timeline on when he could suit up again for the Jets. “It’ll be a few fortnights,” Rodgers said. The term fortnight refers to a two-week period of time.

Rodgers’ latest comments come just one day after a viral video showed him telling James “give me a few weeks,” an apparent reference to when he could make his NFL return. Rodgers remarks came after the Jets suffered a 27-6 loss to the Chargers at MetLife Stadium.

The 39-year-old quarterback attempted to downplay those comments by saying he was simply joking with the Chargers safety.

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“I mean, obviously, that was said with a little tongue in cheek there. It’d be nice to be back in a couple weeks, but that’s probably not anywhere near a realistic timeline,” Rodgers said Tuesday. “It could be a few, it could be a lot. It’s more of a phrase that didn’t have a specific timetable. I said it smiling, joking… obviously it’s gonna be more than a couple weeks.”

The Super Bowl winning quarterback was also spotted on the field throwing some passes during warmups. He was also seen walking around without crutches. 

While, he expressed optimism about be on a football field, Rodgers cautioned against making too much of him tossing a few passes.

“It felt good, you know. Felt kind of normal to be out there,” Rodgers said. “Listen, when I’m 70, I think I’ll still be able to throw the ball pretty good, so that’s never gonna be a problem. It’s just how quickly can I get this rehab where I need it to be.”