Aaron Rodgers Dropped Another Hint About His Future After Jets Loss

Aaron Rodgers has made it very publicly clear that he wants to return early from the Achilles tear he suffered on the New York Jets' first drive of the season.

On Monday, following the Jets' 27-6 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, Rodgers dropped the latest hint about his future. In a moment captured by ESPN's cameras and microphones, Rodgers greeted Chargers safety Derwin James Jr. near the 50-yard line.

James hit Rodgers with the question everybody wants to know.

"When you coming back?" James asked.

"Give me a few weeks," Rodgers answered.

A few weeks would be truly unprecedented for an Achilles injury, but Rodgers is a believer in the power of manifesting, which he has brought up multiple times during his weekly appearances on The Pat McAfee Show.

"I believe in the power of your mind and will," Rodgers said last month. "Willpower. Basically, this entire time I've said, 'This is what I'd like to do rehab-wise.' I've got some incredible people to work with."

Newsweek reached out to the Jets via email regarding Rodgers' injury timeline.

Still, it's unclear whether Rodgers actually believes he can return or whether he is trying to speak and will an early return into existence. The Athletic reported Monday that a high-level member of the Jets' organization doesn't see how a return would be "remotely possible" (although that member of the organization requested anonymity because they didn't want to be "seen as unsupportive" of Rodgers).

As powerful as the mind can be, even Rodgers acknowledges that his body needs to pass a number of markers before he can return to the field. Those markers include jogging and evading defenders, and the latter is particularly challenging since changing direction puts a lot of pressure on tendons and joints.

In last week's appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, Rodgers shared that he still needs to keep his foot at an obtuse angle to protect the Achilles. When A.J. Hawk asked if Rodgers is walking on the beach yet, Rodgers said that kind of motion remains inadvisable.

Still, Rodgers said he is making weekly progress, and that progress seems to translate to the clips that make rounds on social media before every Jets game. On Monday, Rodgers dropped back near the 45-yard line, planted his foot and launched a couple of monster throws to the end zone, which probably don't mean much for his recovery.

The Jets dropped to .500 with Monday's loss, a game behind the Cincinnati Bengals who currently would occupy the final wild card slot if the season ended today. Presumably, Rodgers would only return if the Jets can hang on to playoff contention.

Still, if Rodgers can will it into existence, the Jets might not need to hang on for that long. Give him a few weeks.