Rodgers suffered a torn Achilles tendon in the opening drive of his highly-anticipated New York Jets debut.
Aaron Rodgers is nowhere near being done as a starting quarterback in the NFL. If he had his druthers, Rodgers would start and play effectively into his 40s.
The Super Bowl champion appeared on Tuesday's episode of the Pat McAfee Show and said he considers the 2023 season a wash after suffering a torn Achilles tendon just four plays into his highly-anticipated debut as quarterback of the New York Jets.
The devastating injury -- coupled by his season-long recovery -- prompted one of McAfee's sidekicks to ask Rodgers if next season will be his last dance in New York.
"I don't think so," Rodgers responded. "I've felt like when I came here that I got kind of a renewed passion love for the game. And everything's been amazing here, just the people I've gotten to work with, the relationships I've gotten to form with my teammates and amazing men and women that work here."
Rodgers, who spent 18 seasons with the Green Bay Packers, then offered a peak into what he envisions beyond this season.
"I feel like this year is a lost year now that I only played a couple of snaps and wasn't able to go out there and prove what I'm capable of and see what we're capable of as a team," he said. "I don't think next year will be my last year. With some of the things that I've learned over the last year -- taking care of my body and surrounding myself with some great people who have been helping me with my nutritional and my functional training at a more acute level -- I feel like I can play more years and I can be effective into my 40s, which is crazy because I thought I'd be sitting in a couch somewhere at 40. But now I wanna be a starter at 40. I wanna be a starter at 41. I wanna see what I can get out of this body."
Rodgers went on to tout the team's leadership from top to bottom and said he thinks the Jets -- with a few minor tweaks -- are built to win and compete when he returns. But as far as this season is concerned, Rodgers said he's "progressing steadily" but he's still not exactly 100 percent.
ESPN reported earlier this week, citing sources, that Rodgers will likely be medically cleared next week. Rodgers, who had said earlier in the season he'd be open to playing if he was 100 percent and the Jets were in playoff contention (they've since been eliminated), says he's just not ready to take the field despite steadily progressing.
"If I was 100 percent today, I'd be definitely pushing to play," he said. "The fact is, I'm not."
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