Aaron Rodgers Reportedly Could Return In Time For Patriots-Jets Rematch

We might see Aaron Rodgers play at Gillette Stadium this season after all.

During Sunday night’s telecast of the Jets’ road loss to the Raiders, NBC sideline reporter Melissa Stark said Rodgers hopes to return by mid-December. The star quarterback suffered a torn Achilles in New York’s season opener but has made significant progress since undergoing surgery in September.

“He said, ‘I know it sounds insane, but you do a good surgery, you have a good patient, it makes this possible,’ ” Stark said during the broadcast.

Rodgers also told Stark he’d been training on a weight-limiting treadmill. He was jogging at 50% of his body weight with plans to increase to 75% this week.

If Rodgers accomplishes his goal, he’d return well ahead of the Jets’ Week 18 rematch with the New England Patriots. The two teams will meet in Foxboro, Mass., in the Jan. 7 regular season finale.

The Patriots won the first matchup, 15-10 at MetLife Stadium, but lost six of their next seven games, including Sunday’s humiliating loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Frankfurt, Germany. New York, meanwhile, is 4-5 after Sunday’s loss in Las Vegas.

In a sad sign of the times, you could look at Rodgers’ return as a positive for the Patriots. The presence of Rodgers would increase the chances of a loss in the season finale, which could help New England’s quest for a top NFL draft pick.