Former NFL QB voices concerns about Aaron Rodgers returning this season

Former NFL quarterback and current "The NFL Today" analyst Boomer Esiason is the latest noteworthy individual raising concerns about New York Jets signal-caller Aaron Rodgers possibly returning this season from the torn Achilles he suffered on Sept. 11. 

Per Ryan Chichester of Audacy, Esiason said during Thursday's edition of the WFAN "Boomer and Gio" program that he spoke with "multiple people with knowledge of (Rodgers') injury, the surgery and the healing process." Following those conversations, Esiason thinks Rodgers could risk the rest of his career by playing in a game before next summer. 

"The tendon itself needs time to heal itself," Esiason explained. "You want the thing to heal, and you don’t want to be stretching it out. If you’re out there walking around…you’re actually stretching that tendon way too early, in the eyes of many people who have done this surgery. The idea is to let the tendon heal first, and then you have to stretch it. If you’re stretching it now, before it is actually fully healed, there is a very good chance it is going to be like a stretched-out rubber band that is going to lose its elasticity." 

Amid reports and rumors claiming that Rodgers could return to the New York lineup for the Week 15 game at the Miami Dolphins on Dec. 17 or the Week 16 home contest versus the Washington Commanders on Christmas Eve, numerous surgeons have offered reasons for why the future Hall of Famer shouldn't rush back until he's fully recovered from what can, in some cases, be a career-ending injury.  

During a Tuesday appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show," Rodgers said everyone should "just cool our jets a little bit" about him possibly playing before 2023 comes to an end. Meanwhile, Esiason sounded worried that Rodgers is already walking without crutches and tossing short passes on both feet ahead of schedule. 

"If you are out there way too early in your rehab, there is a really good chance that thing is going to get stretched out and stay stretched out, and therefore, you’re going to lose the elasticity of it," Esiason continued. "Then, the question becomes, is the calf gonna be able to handle it and have that bounce that you normally have in your legs and feet?" 

Rodgers accepted a pay cut this past summer to give the Jets some salary-cap relief and help the organization build around him through at least the 2024 season. Esiason is convinced Rodgers "may never get back to normal" if he plays before Super Bowl LIX concludes in February, but it's worth noting the 3-3 Jets wouldn't be a playoff team if the season ended ahead of Week 7. 

Esiason has ties to the Jets and repeatedly provided updates this past offseason about the team acquiring Rodgers from the Green Bay Packers. One wonders if individuals such as Jets general manager Joe Douglas will listen to warnings voiced by Esiason assuming the team is in postseason conversations around Christmastime.