Exhausted and sweaty Aaron Rodgers is spotted working out in California with USC players as Jets star prepares to return from ruptured Achilles injury after briefly being considered as Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s running mate

Turns out Aaron Rodgers is focused on the upcoming football season after all.

Following rumors that the New York Jets star was a candidate to become Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s running mate in the upcoming presidential election, Rodgers has resurfaced in California, where he has been training with members of the USC Trojans.

The 40-year-old was captured in photos obtained by DailyMail.com, showing him in sunglasses, compression tights and blue shorts. The mustachioed Rodgers traded fist bumps with others as he battled his own exhaustion during outdoor training. He also took some photos with passersby at the famous Santa Monica steps, where many LA athletes come to train.

Jets fans have every reason to be pleased as Rodgers appears to be moving well seven months after undergoing surgery to repair the Achilles tendon he tore during his first offensive series with the team last September.

Rodgers, who played for USC rival California in college, acknowledged during a podcast appearance last week that he briefly thought his playing career might be over after the injury.

Aaron Rodgers is seen wearing a shirt from Proactive Sports Performance, where he trains

Rodgers is seen throwing some fist bumps after working out with some USC Trojans

Rodgers takes photos with spectators near the Santa Monica steps after practice

‘I really thought: this is it. You’re not coming back from this injury,” the quarterback said during an extensive 2.5-hour interview on the “I Can Fly” podcast, which was published Tuesday.

Rodgers, traded to the Jets last offseason after 18 years with the Green Bay Packers, was injured just four times in his debut with New York on September 11.

“I had this incredible offseason experience in a new town, in a new town, with new teammates, a new organization, an owner for the first time, and really fell in love again with the game that I first fell in love with when I was five years old,” Rodgers said. “And it was absolutely beautiful and special and deep and rich and delicious, and just incredible.

“And then, one of the most heartbreaking nights of my life, when I did four plays. Talk about an ego death.’

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers isn’t letting middle age hold him back

Rodgers said he soon began researching Kobe Bryant’s surgery to repair a similar injury during his playing days with the Los Angeles Lakers and that “the doomsday of my career had passed.”

The four-time NFL MVP fought back tears as he spoke about his message to some of his closest friends about his recovery and rehabilitation before flying to California on September 12.

“I said, ‘I need help,’” Rodgers recalled. ‘This is going to be really tough. I need all of you to be there for me on the hard days when I no longer believe it’s possible.”

Rodgers underwent surgery the next day and underwent an extensive rehabilitation process that he said was helped by prayer, diet and support from friends. He insisted his goal was to return before the end of the regular season if the Jets continued to compete in the playoffs while posting the fastest known recovery from a torn Achilles tendon.

He was cleared by doctors for some football activities in late November and said he was feeling good, but aborted the comeback attempt a month later when the Jets were out of the postseason hunt and he did not recover 100% from the injury.

Coach Robert Saleh said last month at the NFL meetings in Orlando, Florida, that Rodgers will be on his way to practice when the Jets begin voluntarily organized team activities next month.

A member of the USC Trojans is seen bumping fists with Aaron Rodgers after their practice

Rodgers appears to be on track to return from his Achilles injury for the 2024 season

Rodgers is now focusing on his return to the football field.

“I’m excited to play again,” Rodgers said. ‘I like to play. I fell in love with the game again and had it taken down after four plays. I miss being outside, I like competition.

‘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 excited to get back on the field and – not to the death – compete with my boys.”

Rodgers said “so much has changed” in his life “for the better” on a personal level since he sat “heartbroken” in the Jets’ locker room on Sept. 11 and “thought my career might be over.”

“That alone has allowed all this great thing to happen in the last six months, so how can I not be grateful to the universe,” Rodgers said. “She’s a wonderful teacher.”