Aaron Rodgers loves conspiracy theories. He’d probably love to be part of one someday. Today is that day.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz put Rodgers in a whopper of a conspiracy theory when they questioned whether the quarterback is being honest about his medical history. The Jets quarterback tore his Achilles just four plays into his first season with the New York Jets, but vowed to defy the odds and limitations of science by returning under center this season.
But will Rodgers be able to return from a torn Achilles faster than any pro athlete ever has before because he’s superhuman and supersmart? Or will Rodgers be able to return from a torn Achilles faster than any pro athlete ever has before because he didn’t actually tear his Achilles.
We have no reason to assume Rodgers would ever lie about anything pertaining to his medical record, but The Dan Le Batard Show doesn’t seem so sure. Tuesday morning, one of the show’s many contributors, Billy Gil posed the question, “Is it crazy to wonder if he (Aaron Rodgers) never actually tore his Achilles?”
“Is it crazy to wonder if he (Aaron Rodgers) never actually tore his achilles?…” – @billygil
📺 https://t.co/q1JKGBFuye pic.twitter.com/K7RLl2UuMD
— Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz (@LeBatardShow) November 7, 2023
“That is a great theory,” Le Batard said with a big smile. “I wish I was wearing some sort of costume. I’d be willing to seriously put out the conspiracy theory – better than the theory that Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce is a propaganda concoction by the NFL to drive ratings – to throw out the conspiracy theory that Aaron Rodgers, since he went into the darkness retreat, all he found in the darkness is, ‘I must come back hellbent on beating science.’”
Gil’s theory, however, goes even deeper, believing Rodgers may have prearranged his public feud with Adam Schefter so that he could use ESPN’s top NFL insider as a pawn to tweet, “confirmed…Aaron Rodgers officially tore his Achilles.” Once Schefter confirmed it, no one else would do any digging into the severity of the injury.
Three weeks after he tore his Achilles, Rodgers returned to MetLife Stadium on crutches, and everyone assumed that meant he was coming back. One month after surgery, Rodgers was seen throwing on the field before a Jets game and everyone took it as further proof he was coming back. Seven weeks after surgery, Rodgers was at MetLife Stadium doing three-step drops, slinging the ball about 50 yards down the field and fans once again marveled at his recovery, saying, ‘Oh yeah, he’s coming back.’
It’s great to see Rodgers walking without crutches and throwing footballs less than two months after everyone assumed his season was over with a torn Achilles. But it still seems like Rodgers’ health is probably closer to the day he had surgery on his torn Achilles than it is to playing in a professional football game. The gap between doing some light warmups by himself and being chased by 300lb lineman is still quite large.
As an admittedly biased Jets fan, I hope Rodgers comes back. I hope the Jets are in position to benefit from Rodgers coming back. But call me a conspiracy theorist, I still don’t think Rodgers will take another snap for the Jets this season.
