Jets activate Aaron Rodgers from injured reserve but confirm he'll miss rest of 2023 season

The Aaron Rodgers comeback — officially — won't happen, after all.

New York Jets coach Robert Saleh announced Wednesday that Rodgers will be activated off injured reserve to continue his rehab from an Achilles tear, but he will remain sidelined for the rest of the regular season.

"We're still going to keep him on the active (roster). We've got the roster flexibility with all the different things that have happened over the course of the last couple weeks," Saleh said. "You know, like I said, it's all part of his rehab and just having him out on the football field is a plus for everybody. It's a plus for him, it's a plus for his teammates, so we're going to keep him on the 53 (man roster)."

When asked if Rodgers could potentially be activated, Salah said, "No, he's not playing."

The team opened Rodgers' 21-day practice window Nov. 29. But, with the Jets (5-9) eliminated from contention for the NFL playoffs, the team has opted to rest Rodgers, who turned 40 on Dec. 2.

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Saleh's comments Wednesday were more or less a formality after Rodgers had indicated Tuesday during his regular appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show" on ESPN that he will no longer push to return this season.

"If I was 100% today, I'd be definitely pushing to play. The fact is I’m not," Rodgers said then. "I've been working hard to get closer to that, but I’m 14 weeks (removed) tomorrow from my surgery. Being medically cleared as 100% healed is just not realistic.

"I'm not going to slow my rehab down. I'm going to keep attacking it every single day," Rodgers said a few minutes later. "But now, without a timetable to come back, obviously we can be as smart as we need to be."

Rodgers, who on Sept. 11 tore his left Achilles tendon three offensive plays into New York's season opener, had publicly expressed optimism that he would return to game action before the end of the season.

He appeared to be well ahead of typical recovery periods for Achilles tendon tears. Just weeks after he sustained the injury, he was seen walking unassisted into MetLife Stadium, the home venue of the Jets, ahead of their games. He also became a fixture during pregame warm-ups, initially tossing light passes before graduating to drop backs and more rigorous football movement.

"There’s no set date," Rodgers said during an appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show" on Nov. 14. "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 take it a different way, but I expect us to be in it and I expect to come back, so that's about all I can tell you at this point."

In his first week back at practice, Rodgers participated in the Wednesday and Friday sessions in a limited capacity but missed Thursday's practice. He was eventually ruled out of New York's game that weekend, an eventual 13-8 loss against the Atlanta Falcons.

The Jets upset the Texans in Week 14, but were shutout 30-0 in a loss Sunday against the Miami Dolphins that eliminated them from playoff contention.

The Jets have cycled through three different quarterbacks in Rodgers' absence, Zach Wilson, Tim Boyle and Trevor Siemian, though New York's offense has struggled significantly.

On Tuesday, Dec. 6, the Jets released Boyle and signed journeyman quarterback Brett Rypien off the practice squad of the Seattle Seahawks. Wilson, two weeks after he was demoted to third string, was named the starter for the Jets' Week 14 game against the Houston Texans.

During a stretch from Week 8 through Week 13, the Jets scored just three offensive touchdowns. In fact, the Jets rank dead last in the NFL in both passing touchdowns (nine) and rushing touchdowns (four).

Rodgers' first season in New York officially ends with him going 0-for-1, with a quarterback rating of 39.6. He remains under contract with the team after he took a massive paycut over the offseason to give New York salary cap flexibility over the next couple of seasons.

The four-time AP Most Valuable Player, Rodgers has completed 65.3% of his passes for 59,055 yards, with 475 touchdowns against 105 interceptions.