Aaron Rodgers says Achilles surgery 'went great' as road to recovery begins

Rodgers had surgery with Dr Neal ElAttrache on Wednesday

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers revealed that he had surgery to repair his ruptured left Achilles tendon on Wednesday, which "went great."

Dr. Neal ElAttrache performed the procedure that puts Rodgers on the first step toward a long recovery. He shared the news via his Instagram Story on Thursday night.

"Surgery went great yesterday," Rodgers wrote. "Thank you for all the love and prayers and support. And thanks to the Dr. ElAttrache and his staff for starting me on the road to recovery."

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aaron rodgers says achilles surgery went great as road to recovery begins

Aaron Rodgers of the New York Jets passes as he warms up prior to a game against the Buffalo Bills at MetLife Stadium on September 11, 2023, in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Michael Owens/Getty Images)

As Rodgers looks ahead to the rehab process, the question now becomes whether he’ll return to the Jets for the 2024 season or not. 

This rehab process will be a grueling task, especially for a quarterback that is set to be 40 years old in 2024. But Rodgers’ coaches seem to believe that this is not how his career will end.

JETS' NATHANIEL HACKETT CONFIDENT AARON RODGERS WILL RETURN NEXT SEASON

Jets offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett knows Rodgers was contemplating retirement this offseason as he entered his infamous darkness retreat. But Hackett didn’t mince words when asked what he believes Rodgers will do next year.

"Oh yeah," Hackett said when asked if Rodgers will return next season. "Whenever Aaron’s got his mind set on something, good luck for anybody that wants to change his mind."

aaron rodgers says achilles surgery went great as road to recovery begins

Aaron Rodgers of the New York Jets warms up before the game against the Buffalo Bills at MetLife Stadium on September 11, 2023, in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Elsa/Getty Images)

All the Jets’ coaches and players saw the hard work Rodgers put in once he stepped foot in Florham Park, New Jersey, to begin his journey with a new team for the first time in 19 NFL seasons. The belief in the building is clearly Rodgers doesn’t want to be remembered as a Jet like this.

Rodgers suffered the injury on just his fourth snap as a Jet when Buffalo Bills edge rusher Leonard Floyd sacked him. A MetLife Stadium crowd of more than 83,000 were in complete disbelief as Rodgers was carted off the field.

Moving forward in 2023, the Jets will be going with his backup, second overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft Zach Wilson, who did just enough to get the Jets back in the game, which eventually ended in their favor. Xavier Gipson ran a punt back 65 yards for a touchdown in overtime to shock the Bills.  

aaron rodgers says achilles surgery went great as road to recovery begins

Aaron Rodgers of the New York Jets warms up prior to the game against the Buffalo Bills at MetLife Stadium on September 11, 2023, in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Michael Owens/Getty Images)

While everyone will be focused on how Wilson responds to being named the starter, the Jets and their fan base will be holding out hope that Rodgers can come back strong in 2024 as the team's leader on offense.

Scott Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.

Authored by Scott Thompson via FoxNews September 14th 2023