Aaron Rodgers indicates he won't return this season, ending early comeback bid from torn Achilles

The Aaron Rodgers Watch appears to be over.

Rodgers didn't come right out and say it, but he indicated Tuesday he will no longer push to return this season after the New York Jets were eliminated from playoff contention.

"If I was 100% today, I'd be definitely pushing to play. The fact is I’m not," Rodgers said during his weekly appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show." "I've been working hard to get closer to that, but I’m 14 weeks (removed) tomorrow from my surgery. Being medically cleared as 100% healed is just not realistic.

"I'm not going to slow my rehab down. I'm going to keep attacking it every single day," Rodgers said a few minutes later. "But now, without a timetable to come back, obviously we can be as smart as we need to be."

The four-time NFL MVP was traded to the Jets in the offseason, immediately elevating them to Super Bowl contenders. But Rodgers tore his Achilles tendon four plays into the Jets' season opener.

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Rodgers had surgery later that week, and the typical recovery for athletes can range from six to nine months. But Rodgers was determined to push his rehab to give himself a shot to come back if the Jets were in the playoff mix.

He was walking without crutches eight weeks after surgery, and was on the field throwing before several Jets games. The Jets opened the 21-day practice window on him Nov. 29, which requires them to either medically clear and activate him by Wednesday or rule him out for the rest of the season.

The Jets were eliminated with Sunday's loss to the Miami Dolphins, helping make the decision for Rodgers and the team.

The Jets have three games left: Sunday against Washington; Dec. 28 against the Cleveland Browns; and a game the final weekend against New England. With no potential for the playoffs, there was little upside for a return.

Still, Rodgers said he does not regret trying.

"It was always going to be a difficult rehab and a difficult comeback," he said. "I wouldn’t have done anything differently."

With Rodgers' immediate future is settled, he said he will spend his off-season in California. That's where he did the bulk of his rehab, and he said he'll continue working so he can be ready for next season.

"I'm going to be doing my usual working out on the West Coast, and then once we're getting revved up around the draft, I'll be back here and trying to get this thing right," he said. "I think it's important to make sure I keep putting my stamp on this offense. We'll have some new pieces so I want to make them get on the same page."

For next season — and beyond.

Rodgers turned 40 earlier this month and few quarterbacks, even those not returning from a torn Achilles, have had success at that age and beyond. But Rodgers thinks he can join Tom Brady as an exception.

"I've felt like when I came here, I got kind of a renewed passion and love for the game," he said. "I don't think next year will be my last year. With some of the things that I've learned over the last year, taking care of my body and surrounding myself with some great people who've been helping me with my nutrition and functional training ... I feel like I can play more years and I can be effective into my 40s.

"Which is crazy because I thought that I'd probably be sitting on the couch somewhere at 40. But now I want to be a starter at 40. I want to be a starter at 41. I want to see what I can get out of this body."