The NFL world remains in shock after Aaron Rodgers’ season-ending injury in his New York Jets debut. That shock traveled all the way to his former head coach. Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur passed along well wishes his former quarterback on Wednesday.
During his media availability, the Packers head coach said he texted Rodgers after his injury. Additionally, according to reporter Rob Demovsky, “LaFleur said he texted Aaron Rodgers after his injury.
“LaFleur to the media said, ‘I feel for him. Never want to see anybody go through that. Anytime you have a player of his caliber not playing football, it’s bad for the game.’”
LaFleur coached Rodgers from 2019-2022. The duo combined for a 47-19 record and two NFC Championship appearances in 2019 and 2020. Rodgers was also named NFL MVP in back-to-back seasons under LaFleur (2020 and 2021).
LaFleur has first-hand knowledge of the recovery process for torn Achilles, as he tore his in his first year as head coach of the Packers. After joking that the recovery was easy for him, he expanded and said, “I would think someone of his caliber, I would bet he’d have no problem coming back from that.”
The recovery timeframe for Rodgers’ torn Achilles depends on many factors. Kevin Durant, for example, took nearly a year and a half to return to play following his injury. On the other hand, Rams running back Cam Akers tore his leading up to the 2021 season and returned for the playoffs. Until the surgery actually transpires and the rehab process begins, it’s impossible to truly say how long of a road to recovery Rodgers is looking at. So until then, we’ll all have to wait until he makes his next move.
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