Aaron Rodgers struggled to hide his frustration on Sunday as the Jets’ playoff hopes were ended by the Miami Dolphins – and the quarterback’s hopes of returning from injury this season were left in peril.
New York was beaten by 30-0 by the Dolphins on Sunday, a result which saw Robert Saleh’s side drop to 5-9. The Jets are now officially eliminated from the postseason.
Rodgers was on the sidelines as he edges closer to a comeback from the torn Achilles he suffered on his Jets debut back in September.
The injured quarterback wore a headset as he listened into the offensive play calls and, at one point, television cameras caught Rodgers ruefully shaking his head.
Later, in the fourth quarter with the Jets already down 30-0, the 40-year-old was seen rocking his head back, eyes closed.
Aaron Rodgers failed to hide his frustration as the Jets’ playoff hopes were ended by Miami
The impact of Sunday’s defeat in Miami could extend beyond the Jets’ playoff dreams. The result could delay Rodgers’ own return to the field.
The 40-year-old had teased a comeback against the Washington Commanders on December 24 – just 104 days after rupturing his Achilles vs. the Bills on September 11.
But Rodgers has consistently suggested that the Jets would still need to be in playoff contention if he was to push his body to complete the quickest known comeback from an Achilles tear among professional athletes.
The quarterback last week increased his workload at practice in an attempt to return before New York’s deadline for activating him off injured reserve passes on Wednesday.
The quarterback was on the sidelines as he edges closer to a comeback from a torn Achilles
‘He looks normal to me,’ Saleh said last week.
‘It’s unbelievable. Credit to him, especially in this day and age where a hangnail can affect a game week, but this dude is grinding to try to get himself back. It just shows how much he cares. I have an appreciation for him.’
Rodgers has said he needs to feel he can properly protect himself on the field, doctors must clear him to play and the Jets must be in the playoff hunt.
He told ‘The Pat McAfee Show’ there remain ‘some things I’ve got to do in order to be able to be cleared.’
