Jets QB Aaron Rodgers aims for potential playoff return after innovative surgery on torn Achilles

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New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers is targeting an improbable playoff return from his torn Achilles after undergoing an innovative surgery on Wednesday in Los Angeles -- a procedure designed to accelerate the normal rehabilitation process from such an injury.

Sources say renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache and his team performed a procedure to place an internal brace -- called an Achilles "speed bridge" -- on Rodgers' fully torn left Achilles, which he ruptured just four snaps into Monday's game against the Bills. While there are no guarantees, the speed bridge protects the repair and opens up the possibility of an earlier return, sources say.

It's a relatively new process designed to have an athlete fully recovered in as little as four months from what is normally a season-ending injury, per sources informed of the procedure. It also could potentially give Rodgers at least a shot to be ready to return in mid-January, right around the start of the playoffs if the Jets qualify for the postseason.

Rodgers might also receive platelet-rich plasma injections, similar to what Lakers star Kobe Bryant -- who had ElAttrache repair his Achilles in 2013 -- famously received in Germany for a knee injury. There are other players in the NFL who have undergone similar procedures, including Russell Wilson last year.

Rodgers said on The Pat McAfee Show on Friday that he texted ElAttrache from the locker room to start the process of recovery.

"There's a lot of different ideas about the overall length of the rehab. I think what I'd like to say is, just because nobody's ever done it in a certain way doesn't mean it's not possible,"