Jets' Robert Saleh: If Aaron Rodgers 'Says He Wants to Play, He's Going to Play'

The New York Jets are doubling down on Aaron Rodgers playing again this season despite a torn Achilles.

Jets coach Robert Saleh said he believes Rodgers will return to the lineup, citing the quarterback's own belief in himself.

"Aaron's a big boy, a grown man, and no one's going to know Aaron's body like Aaron knows his body," Saleh told reporters Wednesday. "And if he feels after all the doctors clear him—I'm sure there's a million of them, I have no idea—but if Aaron says he wants to play, he's going to play."

Rodgers is attempting an unheard-of comeback from the torn Achilles he suffered in a Week 1 win over the Buffalo Bills. The future Hall of Famer has targeted a mid-December return, which would put him just a little over three months out from the initial injury.

Essentially every player in the history of professional sports has missed the rest of the season in which they suffered a torn Achilles. Some have remained out of action into the next season. The closest comparison would be Cam Akers' return to the Los Angeles Rams during the 2022 playoffs—and even that came nearly a half-year after the initial injury.

Rodgers has maintained he will only return if the Jets are in playoff contention.

"No, there's no set date," Rodgers said Tuesday on The Pat McAfee Show. "It could change. If I have a great week this week and next week, that could be accelerated. If we are not in it in three or four weeks, that could, you know, that could take it a different way. ... I expect us to be in it, and I expect to come back."

The Jets currently sit 4-5 and have failed to score an offensive touchdown in their last two games.