Aaron Rodgers believes he runs faster now than before he tore his Achilles tendon as the Jets quarterback moves closer to a return to the field.
Mail Sport has been told that the 40-year-old hopes to play for another two or three years despite his first season with the Jets being cut short on the opening night.
Rodgers was injured after just four takes of his New York debut and has spent the past seven months in rehab after undergoing surgery to repair his ruptured Achilles tendon.
He returned to Jets headquarters on Monday for voluntary offseason workouts ahead of the 2024 season. Rodgers recently admitted he initially feared the injury could end his career. ‘I really thought: “This is it. You won’t come back from this injury,” he told the club ‘I can fly’ podcast.
But according to a source close to the 40-year-old, Rodgers believes he is now where he hoped to be when he arrived in New York last year.
Aaron Rodgers believes he runs faster now than before he tore his Achilles tendon
The quarterback was hurt just four snaps into his debut against the Buffalo Bills
In fact, Mail Sport understands Rodgers believes he is running faster than before he was injured.
That will be a huge boost for the Jets, who struggled without their star quarterback last season.
Rodgers was cleared to make a miraculous return to the field within four months of the injury. But New York’s failure to reach the playoffs left the quarterback on the sidelines.
The 40-year-old has been training throughout the offseason and was recently spotted during a grueling workout with USC players in California.
In July 2023, Rodgers and the Jets agreed to a new two-year contract with $75 million guaranteed for the 2024 season.
The 40-year-old was spotted during a grueling workout with USC players in California
But the four-time MVP is said to have made it clear that he wants to play for two or three more years.
“He’s on a mission,” Jets coach Robert Saleh said last month. “He’s on a mission to do a lot of the things he wanted to do last year, and he won’t stop until he gets it done.”
Recently on the ‘I Can Fly Podcast’, Rodgers said he is ‘excited’ about his return to the field.
“I fell in love with the game again (after joining the Jets) and had it taken away after four games. “I miss being out there, I love competing,” he said.
‘Football is my happy place. That’s where I have the most control over my athletic abilities. I missed that last year, really missed that. My heart was broken. I’m looking forward to taking to the field again and – not to the point of life or death – competing with my boys.’