Aaron Rodgers' return depends on Jets' record

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers is getting closer to returning to the field from a torn Achilles, but he isn't physically ready to make a decision about playing again this season.

Some of the decision-making process will involve whether the Jets have a chance at a playoff berth, he said during his weekly appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show" on Tuesday.

Rodgers, who turns 40 on Saturday, suffered the injury on his first series with the Jets during the season opener against the Buffalo Bills on Sept. 11.

"It's always been, first, am I healthy, and then are we alive, are we in it, are we playing good enough to make a run? Can I step in and protect myself and play at the level that I feel like I'm capable of playing? But the first part is to help so can I protect myself, can I move around the way I want to move around, so there's a natural progression here to the rehab," he said.

"And, you know, that's going to involve actually getting back onto the field to start to do some things that are more football related but again, we're still not where I can make a decision on playing."

Behind beleaguered Zach Wilson and his replacement, Tim Boyle, the Jets are 4-7 and currently out of the playoff picture. They host the Atlanta Falcons (5-6) on Sunday.

The four-time NFL Most Valuable Player said Tuesday that doctors haven't cleared him.

"I think the step is just getting back onto the field and doing some more real football things," Rodgers said. "Throw to my teammates and go through some individual part of practice. I think will be kind of the next step to see what my lateral movement is like, and after going through some of these more football related moves, how do I respond? How does my leg respond to that?"

—Field Level Media