Aaron Rodgers expects to return even if NY Jets are out of the playoffs

NY Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers has set out to prove that he can return this season despite suffering a torn Achilles in his team's season opener a little over two months ago.

However, the assumption to this point has been that Rodgers only plans to return if the Jets are still in playoff contention. After all, why would he rush back and risk re-injuring himself if the games don't mean anything?

As it turns out, Rodgers might plan to return regardless of what happens with the Jets.

Fox Sports' Jay Glazer reported on Thursday that Rodgers plans to return this season even if his team is out of the playoff picture. Glazer said that Rodgers "wants to show he's able to come back faster from that Achilles tear than any quarterback ever."

How true is this? That's anyone's guess. But Glazer insists that Rodgers' tone changed this past weekend. He plans to play this season no matter what happens with his team over the next couple of weeks.

Aaron Rodgers doesn't care about the NY Jets' playoff hopes — he just wants to come back

Rodgers is attempting to recover from an Achilles tear not just faster than any quarterback ever, as Glazer insisted, but any person in the history of this sport.

He hopes to return to the field a little over three months after undergoing surgery to repair his torn Achilles. That's roughly half the time of the quickest Achilles recovery in NFL history. What he's trying to do is unprecedented.

Unfortunately, at 4-6, the Jets' hopes of reaching the postseason continue to dwindle by the week. They've now lost three straight games and are one loss away from effectively being eliminated from playoff contention.

It would make little sense for Rodgers to force his way back onto the field in record time, especially if there's a high risk of re-injury. But Rodgers seems determined to return to prove a point.

He wants to show the NFL world that he can do this. He wants to prove that he can defy modern sports medicine and pull off the impossible. And honestly, it's hard to doubt him at this stage.

Still, it would probably be in the best interest of both Rodgers and the Jets if he sits on the sideline and focuses on his rehab instead of returning if the team is already out of the playoff race.

Aaron Rodgers wants to return, but there comes a point where the Jets might need to put their foot down.