Dan Marino gave his thoughts on Aaron Rodgers' Achilles injury from the perspective of a former legendary quarterback who had to suffer the same rupture in his playing career. The Miami Dolphins legend acknowledged that it will be devastating for the current New York Jets to process because of how hard he prepared to be ready for his new team. Dan Marino said on 'Stacking the Box', "First of all you know when it happens is frustrating. Him being a true pro, Aaron Rodgers went through a lot this offseason to get ready and play and be a part of the Jets and what they're doing and trying to win. And for him to get hurt on the first few plays. It's devastating." However, the Dolphins great was equally certain that if Aaron Rogders wanted to return and play again, it is definitely possible. He put that down to his own experience and how good the Jets number 8 has been throughout his career. The Hall-of-Famer added, "But you can come back and you can be very good at what you do. And I'm sure Aaron will, if he wants to, work very hard to come back and play again... you know, he's been a special player." Dan Marino cautions Aaron Rodgers that Achilles rehab is tedious Dan Marino also added that rehab is the key to returning from an Achilles injury. He cautioned Aaron Rodgers that it is an extremely slow process and takes up to a year, implying that patience will be key to this recovery. He said, "Well, the the rehab is the biggest part - rehabbing the right way. It's very tedious when you rehab an Achilles because he's slow process. It usually takes almost a year to come back from that and it was like that for me too." However, Dan Marino held out hope that the situation will be better for Aaron Rodgers. In his own case, even after returning, the tendon was slightly elongated and he had to wear a special boot. That is why, he said, he could not get on his toes that easily. He added, "But it's the way they probably handle that now is probably differently and I'm sure Aaron will come back strong if he wants to play again."
Hopefully he retires. He had a great career and is one of the best ever. Age I'm sure had at least something to do with this injury and very few QBs succeed past the age of 40. Also hope he retires for our sake lol. Rodgers is a huge upgrade over Zach Wilson!
I have a feeling that Rogers has taken better care of himself then Marino did back in the day. Rogers may very well feel like he has something to prove.
Rodgers retires just before the first week of the 2024 NFL season; Wilson still not ready, Jets eat a ton of dead cap space. A fun scenario, right?
I will be very surprised if Rodgers doesn't come back. The Jets jumped through hoops to get him and even a prick like Rodgers must feel like he owes them at least another shot next year. Imagine going to the Hall of Fame someday and seeing his career stats up there including 0 - 1 zero yards his last year. He could have retired a one team career QB but threw one pass for another team? It's almost hard to believe it would go down like that.
Hard to believe he'll come back for a couple of reasons. First is because that's a helluva lot of hard work to exert, knowing you'll never be the same again and also that you're playing on borrowed time. Second reason is that there's always a possibility that he works his *** off and gets hurt four plays into the first game after he returns. He's had his time in the light and I doubt even his ego will lead him to do what's necessary to play again. It's just remarkable how his career paralleled Brett Favre's, a guy he had every good reason to dislike.
I've told this story here a hundred times, but I used to get Marino's autograph almost every week out at Weston Country Club with the other teens in my neighborhood. It was almost like a game though, because Dan would drink at the bar, do the radio show, then drink more at the bar before driving home. Drunk Dan couldn't sign his name....autograph shops would say it was a bad counterfeit. So we'd have to make split-second decisions whether or not to have him sign footballs, photos, etc. as he walked to his Suburban. Half the time he'd cuss us out and not sign anything. LOL, Dan was a mean drunk. But as high school football players who idolized the guy, we really didn't care either way. Getting cussed out by #13 was more fun than Nintendo, so we went all the time and had fun with it. He was nice occasionally too and would throw the ball around with us or talk about upcoming matchups and/or recent games. Anyway, Dan was clearly an alcoholic and I can confirm your feeling- he played football and partied. This was in the early 90's as well when he was married with kids already. Not knocking him or anything, but later in life I wondered how he drank so much on Thursday and then played on Sunday afternoon. The Friday walkthrus must have been on autopilot.
Not sure whether or not Rodgers actually CAN come back and the the Rodgers of old. Marino was 32 when he tore his Achilles. Rodgers is 39. For those of us up in years, we can definitely attest the older you get, the longer and more difficult it is to recover from injuries. Additionally, Marino had to wear a special boot to help support his Achilles which severely hindered his throwing motion. I just don’t know if Rodgers can.
And hangovers. I'll be surprised if Rodgers comes back from this. It's a lot of hard work (although I suppose he has to do the rehab if he wants to walk properly again) but it will also take away a lot of his game as even if he isn't as mobile as he was when he was younger he does still like to extend plays.
On top of that, Rodger has already considered retiring this past season which seems to imply at least some of the passion is gone.
Rodgers was my favorite Quarterback in the league until he joined the Jets. I think if he wants to come back and play, he definitely can, but I don't know that he should. 40 is a tough age from a mental point of view. 40 doesn't mean you're dead, or can't run, or can't do a lot of what you did in your 20s and 30s, but you have to be careful and more mindful of your movements. I personally think 40 is just too old to come back and play from an Achilles injury. The guy has nothing to prove at this point and because it's the Jets, he owes them nothing.
