Aaron Rodgers on Fast Rehab Process: 'I Believe in the Power of Your Mind'

Aaron Rodgers raised a lot of eyebrows when video surfaced of him throwing a football and walking without crutches on Sunday before the New York Jets' win over the Philadelphia Eagles, just six weeks after he underwent surgery to repair a torn Achilles tendon.

Some fans and analysts began doing the math, trying to figure out if Rodgers might be able to make a miraculous comeback this season. That timeline would be unprecedented, but Rodgers underwent an innovative surgery in an attempt to push up his return.

On Tuesday, Rodgers made his weekly appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, and he said that his orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Neal ElAttrache, performed the same surgery that allowed Cam Akers to return from an Achilles tear in five months.

But aside from the new medical intervention, Rodgers said a major part of his process is "the power of intention."

"I believe in the power of your mind and will," he said. "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."

Rodgers also said that he and Baltimore Ravens running back J.K. Dobbins underwent the same kind of Achilles procedure days apart and that it will be "interesting to see what both of our prognosis is and our timetable."

"I just wanted to do this quicker," Rodgers said. "And smart but quicker."

Rodgers has downplayed medical science in the past (and he did so again on McAfee's show on Tuesday, mocking infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci). But Jets coach Robert Saleh praised Rodgers for his mindset in his postgame comments Sunday following the Jets' dramatic win over the Eagles.

"His superpower is his presence," Saleh said. "Him being in this building, being around his teammates, being in the locker room, his positive attitude, his thoughts of manifestation and all that stuff, I think it's powerful. So obviously, as a coach of course, selfishly I want him here every single day."

Rodgers told McAfee he debated whether to attend the Jets' game on Sunday since it would force him to miss a couple of days of rehab, but when he reached out to Saleh, the Jets' coach encouraged him to be a part of things. So Rodgers threw the ball before the game, and he stood on the sideline with a headset as the Jets put together a statement win.

"That was a special moment for me, to be able to feel a little more normal," Rodgers said. "These five weeks, it's been really tough, not just physically but also emotionally and spiritually."

When Could Rodgers Play Again?

When McAfee joked that Rodgers will be back soon, the 38-year-old quarterback shook his head and described all of the tasks between his surgery and a potential return. Those include jogging, explosive exercises and then a return to the practice field.

Rodgers refused to put a timetable on anything.

"Obviously, we're ahead of schedule, and there are a lot of factors to that," he said. "There's the way I've attacked the rehab, there's obviously the surgery that Dr. ElAttrache did, there's rehab that I've done and kind of the around the clock approach I've had. There's implementing the diet that I've been doing as well and then just the power of the mind, the power of the manifestations of the desires.

"All of those things together still doesn't get you back on the field. You have to hit a bunch of different things and be feeling a certain way. But that's the goal," he said.