Look at that. Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers could actually be close to his return.
After not practicing on Wednesday, Rodgers participated on Thursday and Friday. Along the way, his head coach saw a man not recovering from a torn Achilles tendon.
“He looks normal to me,” Robert Saleh said, via Dennis Waszak Jr. of the Associated Press. “It's unbelievable. He deserves a lot of credit, especially in this day and age where a hangnail can derail a game week, but this guy is trying to bounce back. It just shows how much he cares. I guess him.”
If anything, Rodgers might be doing too much.
“He jumped up and made a catch today,” receiver Garrett Wilson said of Waszak. “It's kind of scary. I say, ‘Chill!’ That’s what I want to say, but he’s definitely looking ahead of schedule.”
Rodgers has been ruled out for Sunday's game in Miami. He could be there by next weekend. That was always the goal, with the caveat that the Jets must have a record of 7-7 or 8-6 for the risk of putting Rodgers on the field to be worth it. They've apparently adjusted that minimum to 6-8, assuming the Jets can upset the Dolphins on Sunday.
The Jets would still be alive for the postseason at 6-8. You would still have the Commanders, Browns and Patriots left. Finish the game 9-8 and exit the tiebreaker with a spot in the playoff tree. Then January would be much more interesting.
Either way, we'll know by Wednesday if there's a chance of seeing Rodgers next Sunday. The window for him to return to the full squad after returning to training closes on Wednesday. At that point it will either be activated or closed until the offseason.