Orthopedic surgeon talks risks of Jets' Aaron Rodgers returning this season

After multiple doctors voiced concerns regarding New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers attempting to return this season from the torn Achilles he suffered on Sept. 11, orthopedic surgeon Dr. Bonnie Chien explained the risks if he tries to play before next summer.

"Besides re-rupture, although having surgery can decrease the risk of re-rupture compared to no surgery, is that if you go back too soon, too quickly, too hard, too fast, there’s a chance that tendon hasn’t healed enough sort of tightly under tension," Chien told Joe Morgan of Fox News. "And then it could be stretched out, in which case the length of the tendon is increased and, therefore, the power of the tendon is less."

Rodgers showed ahead of the Jets' 20-14 win over the Philadelphia Eagles this past Sunday that he can walk without crutches and also throw short passes while standing on both feet. Since then, it's been reported that the future Hall of Famer, who turns 40 years old in early December, is "on the treadmill and in the pool every day," and it's also been said he could play as soon as New York's Week 15 game at the Miami Dolphins on Dec. 17. 

Chien noted that "four to five months can be a reasonable amount of time" for a professional athlete to return from a serious Achilles injury. The 3-3 Jets finish the regular season at the New England Patriots on Jan. 7 but will hope to play at least one game later that month. 

While Rodgers said during a Tuesday appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show" that he is "ahead of schedule" in his recovery, he added that everyone should "just cool our jets a little bit" as it pertains to when he could return to the lineup. Per Ryan Chichester of Audacy, former Jets quarterback and current "The NFL Today" analyst Boomer Esiason said during Wednesday's edition of his WFAN show that Rodgers playing again this season is "not happening...nor should it happen." 

If the Jets are realistically out of the playoff hunt by the middle of December, expect Rodgers to remain sidelined the rest of the season.