While his current plan is to play at least two more years, Aaron Rodgers thought he had played his final down in the NFL after tearing his Achilles in Week 1 of the 2023 season.
Rodgers recently revealed that he didn't think that he'd be able to overcome an injury that has been a career-ender for several prominent athletes. Rodgers called his New York Jets debut "one of the most heartbreaking nights of my life," as his season ended after just four plays.
"I was really thinking, 'This is it. You don't come back from this injury,'" Rodgers recently said on the "I Can Fly" podcast, via ESPN.
Rodgers' fear that his career was over didn't last long, though. Rodgers began to shift his mindset toward a comeback the day after his injury, when he and several close friends flew back to his home in California.
That day, Rodgers asked his friends for a favor.
"I said, 'I need help. This is going to be really tough. I just need you all to be there for me on the tough days when I stop believing it's possible,'" Rodgers recalled. "It's hard to ask for help."
Given what transpired in the following months, Rodgers' friends delivered. The four-time league MVP had a recovery that was nothing short of incredible. He actually returned to practice late in the year and would have likely played again if the Jets had still been in postseason contention.
As difficult as the night of the injury was, Rodgers said that the injury and subsequent recovery helped make him a better version of himself. Rodgers made a point to credit everyone who helped him along the way, referring to them as "incredible angels."
Rodgers, who acknowledged during the interview that he was considered to be Robert F. Kennedy's running mate in the upcoming election, spoke glowingly about his eagerness to play again, less than a year after he thought that his career might be over.
"I love playing," he said. "I fell back in love with the game (after joining the Jets) and then I had it taken away after four plays. I miss being out there, I love competing.
"Football is my happy place. That's where I feel most in control of my athletic ability. I missed that last year, I really, really missed it. My heart was broken. I'm excited about taking the field one more time and -- not life or death -- going to battle with my guys."
