Aaron Rodgers Feared NFL Career Was Over Due to Injury Before Studying Kobe Bryant

Aaron Rodgers turned to another legendary athlete's recovery for inspiration when he was bouncing back from his own torn Achilles.

During an appearance on the I Can Fly podcast (h/t Dennis Waszak Jr. of the Associated Press), the New York Jets quarterback said he thought his career was over after suffering a torn Achilles in the team's 2023 season opener.

However, he said "the doomsday of, like, my career is over kind of started to go away" when he researched the surgery Kobe Bryant underwent after the Los Angeles Lakers star tore his Achilles in April 2013.

Bryant returned the next season to play six games and also played in the 2014-15 and 2015-16 campaigns. He famously scored 60 points in the final game of his Hall of Fame career.

As for Rodgers, returning to form won't be easy at 40 years old, especially coming off that injury. Yet he explained being away from the game only made him want to come back even more.

"I'm excited about playing again," Rodgers said. "I love playing. I fell back in love with the game and then I had it taken away after four plays. I miss being out there, I love competing.

"Football is my happy place. That's where I feel most in control of my athletic ability. I missed that last year, I really, really missed it. My heart was broken. I'm excited about taking the field one more time and—not life or death—going to battle with my guys."

The Jets went 7-10 without him with the combination of Zach Wilson, Trevor Siemian and Tim Boyle playing under center.

That is a far cry from a 10-time Pro Bowler in Rodgers, and the playoffs will be the expectation when he takes the field in 2024. As long as he stays healthy, there is enough surrounding talent to make that happen with Garrett Wilson, Mike Williams, Breece Hall and a stout defense.