It seemed pretty apparent that Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers suffered a torn right Achilles tendon on the first possession of the season in September.
Rodgers said he felt a pop, the Jets announced it was an Achilles injury after his MRI, and Rodgers has not played since. However, as he aims for a December return to the lineup, some are questioning whether Rodgers truly tore his Achilles.
Just ask columnist Gregg Doyel of the Indianapolis Star, who questions whether Rodgers’s injury is exactly what was reported.
“I don’t believe for a second he suffered a torn Achilles, at least not as we know what a torn Achilles is,” Doyel posted Tuesday on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Whatever Kevin Durant, Kobe and Brandon Graham suffered, he did not. Because this procedure would be trumpeted as a breakthrough, not treated as a secret. Plus he’s a liar,” Doyel added.
An Achilles tear typically sidelines athletes for six months or more. To Doyel’s point, Rodgers’s potential December return, a mere 3 1/2 months from the time of the injury, would be extraordinary and could indicate that his Achilles injury may not have been as significant as some other athletes’ in the past.
However, anything suggesting that Rodgers did not tear his Achilles is simply conjecture and opinion at this point.
Doyel doesn’t believe Rodgers, but perhaps NFL fans will know the true extent of the injury sooner rather than later. He’s aiming to return for the Jets’ game on Christmas Eve against the Commanders.
