Rodgers: I was joking when I said I'd return in a few weeks

Aaron Rodgers won't be returning in just a few weeks after all.

Cameras caught the New York Jets quarterback telling Los Angeles Chargers safety Derwin James "give me a few weeks" after Monday Night Football when James asked about his potential return. However, Rodgers clarified that he was kidding and didn't know the conversation would be captured.

"I didn't realize that was gonna get caught there," Rodgers said Tuesday on the "Pat McAfee Show." "I mean, obviously, that was said with a little tongue in cheek there. It’d be nice to be able to be back in a couple weeks, but that's probably not anywhere near a realistic timeline. ... It could be a few, it could be a lot. It's more of a phrase that didn't have a specific timetable.

"I said it smiling, joking. ... Obviously, it's gonna be more than a couple weeks."

Rodgers embarked on an aggressive rehab schedule in hopes of returning later this season from a torn Achilles tendon. The veteran has been spotted throwing the football around pregame and he upped the ante Monday by attempting some three-step drop throws.

The 39-year-old said people should temper their expectations, however, as his potential return will be affected by factors beyond the Jets' playoff hopes.

"Obviously, we gotta be in the mix, there's no doubt about it," Rodgers told McAfee. "But, more than that, I gotta be able to be healthy, to be able to move, to be able to protect myself, to be able to have strength in all the throwing positions. ...

"I'm feeling a lot more strength in the Achilles, but we're a long way off from being able to be under center."

New York enters Week 10 with a 4-4 record. The franchise's loss to the Chargers on Monday night snapped a three-game winning streak.