Jets' Robert Saleh talks Aaron Rodgers possibly returning this season

New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh isn't closing the door on star quarterback Aaron Rodgers possibly making a remarkable return to the playing field this season. 

"I think he gets stronger when people say, 'You can't,'" Saleh said about Rodgers while speaking with reporters on Friday, per SNY. "When people doubt him, I think he's the type of guy that gets stronger...He's got that mindset where, if someone tells him he's not capable or something's impossible, he's like, 'You'll see.' And so, no, I don't put it past him."

Rodgers suffered what was thought, at the time, to be a season-ending torn Achilles in Week 1, but it was reported last Sunday night he wants to return before the Jets play their final game of the ongoing campaign even though logic and history suggest that's unlikely. Per Rich Cimini of ESPN, Rodgers insisted during a Tuesday appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show" that he's "well ahead of the normal protocols" regarding his recovery. 

It's practically a guarantee Rodgers won't be cleared to play before the Jets close the regular season at the New England Patriots on Jan. 7, meaning 1-3 New York must first qualify for the playoffs before everyone involved would have to make a decision about the 39-year-old's availability. Of course, many would assume Saleh wouldn't bench Zach Wilson or any quarterback who guided the Jets to the postseason in favor of a veteran who last completed a meaningful game in January of this year. 

"I'm just worried about this (game)," Saleh said Friday about such a scenario. "If that problem shows up, we'll all be very happy."

Wilson produced a solid showing in last Sunday's 23-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs but now must show that wasn't a one-off beginning with this Sunday's "revenge game" at the 1-3 Denver Broncos. If he doesn't, any talk about Rodgers potentially playing before next September may disappear ahead of Halloween.