Mike McCarthy won't commit to Aaron Rodgers returning this week

Senior writer

Mon, Dec 11, 2017, 11:31 PM

While the world assumes Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers will return this week, Packers coach Mike McCarthy wanted everyone to slow down a bit.

McCarthy said Rodgers, who broke his collarbone earlier this season but recently returned to practice, still has to undergo more tests before a decision is made on his return. Football coaches can suck the life out of anything, and perhaps McCarthy is sandbagging even though he knows Rodgers will play. But his message (via Wes Hodkiewicz of Packers.com) was clear: Rodgers has not been cleared to return yet.

McCarthy on Aaron Rodgers: "There's a number of scans, testing that went in this morning. It's now in the evaluation stage. Dr. McKenzie is reviewing it. There are a number of opinions involved. At this time, I don't have a clean decision for you." #Packers
— Wes Hodkiewicz (@WesHod) December 11, 2017

There are reasons the Packers wouldn’t rush Rodgers back. They’re 7-6 and in the playoff hunt, but they are still long shots to make the playoffs. They trail the Carolina Panthers by two games and are a game behind the Atlanta Falcons and Seattle Seahawks in the wild-card race. Even if Rodgers returns and the Packers win out, there’s no guarantee they’d make the playoffs. The Packers have to weigh that vs. the risk of Rodgers’ re-injuring his collarbone. They don’t want to do anything that would affect Rodgers in 2018. Trying to make a desperate playoff push this year isn’t worth putting their franchise quarterback in harm’s way.

Most likely, McCarthy is downplaying the return for some reason (perhaps so the Carolina Panthers can’t get an early jump on game-planning for Rodgers), and Rodgers will be back as everyone expects. McCarthy said there “hasn’t been a target that he hasn’t hit” when talking about Rodgers’ recovery. You’d assume Rodgers wants to return and try to get the Packers to the playoffs.

But for now, the wait continues.

“In his mind, he’s ready to go,” McCarthy said, according to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “But it’s a medical decision.”