Packers QB Aaron Rodgers stays firm on toe injury: 'It's not going to stop me from playing'

GREEN BAY - The Aaron Rodgers toe watch of 2021 continued Tuesday, as the Green Bay Packers quarterback provided a brief update on his fractured pinky toe. 

During his weekly appearance on the "Pat McAfee Show," the reigning NFL MVP told McAfee and former Packers linebacker A.J. Hawk that the toe “is what it is.”

“It’s not going be a problem, I don’t think," Rodgers said. "It’s not going to stop me from playing, it’s just pain management."

This mirrored what Rodgers told reporters after a 45-30 win on Sunday night against the Chicago Bears. 

“It feels worse,” Rodgers said then. “I don’t know what kind of setback I had tonight, but we will look at it tomorrow, but I definitely took a step back tonight.”

Before the bye week, Rodgers had mentioned the possibility of surgery for the toe. He said on Sunday night he couldn’t “make that call right now” as to whether surgery was still a possibility. 

On Tuesday, Rodgers didn’t expand on any surgery possibility, but did say, “I’m going to keep playing and probably not practice a whole lot unless there’s significant improvement.” 

Rodgers' light practice schedule has become the norm in recent weeks, as he rests the toe before playing on Sundays. He did take physical practice reps last Friday, ahead of the Bears game, and attributed that ability to the bye week. 

“It was great, the bye week. Man, it was amazing to be able to get that thing healed up for almost two weeks,” Rodgers said Tuesday. “But you go out there and play, run around, try to do some things, it’s going be painful after the game.”

Rodgers went 29-for-37 for 341 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions against the Bears. He was sacked three times. 

Asked if revealing details about his toe has led to opponents taking shots at his injury, Rodgers told McAfee, “There has been some issues at times with individuals getting really, really cold feet and not being able to know what they’re stepping on so that’s not out of the realm of possibility, I totally understand that.”

RODGERS ON FUTURE:Will Aaron Rodgers play in Green Bay next season? The subject was brought up again on 'The Pat McAfee Show.'

RODGERS' LOOK-ALIKE:Mystery of the Aaron Rodgers look-alike spotted at Sunday's Packers game takes an apparent international turn

However, after a report surfaced that Rodgers was suffering from an issue known as “COVID toe” following his stint with COVID-19, taken from what was a sarcastic moment on the McAfee show, the quarterback felt it was worth revealing more about the injury.

“I also felt the need to revise a story that was out there about me, about having lesions on my feet. Because of that, I shared more information about the specifics of my injury,” Rodgers said Tuesday.  

“If people want to step on my feet; I mean I get stepped on all the time. I got a Band-Aid on my shin cause I got kicked in the shin. Like, that’s just kind of standard playing football. You’re gonna get stepped on, you’re gonna get rolled up on or kicked or whatever, most of the time unintentionally.”

Meanwhile Tuesday, the Packers promoted receiver Juwann Winfree from the practice squad to the active roster and signed receiver Josh Malone to the practice squad.

The Packers return to the practice field Wednesday, before traveling this weekend to take on the Baltimore Ravens.