Aaron Rodgers' comeback could be close to shutting down.
With the Packers' playoff chances extinguished, it looks as if the team is ready to keep their star quarterback on the sideline after the physical beating he took against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.
"Aaron Rodgers is sore. I mean, rightfully so," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said Monday. "He was hit too many times, took two big hits. So, we're working through that. We'll see what tomorrow brings."
What it brings is an official end to the Packers' playoff hopes. The Atlanta Falcons' victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on *Monday Night Football *eliminated Green Bay from postseason contention.
It appears Green Bay is preparing for possibility of playing its remaining games without Rodgers. On Monday, the Packers re-signed backup quarterback Joe Callahan, a source informed of the move told NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport. The signing comes two days after the Packers cut him when they activated Rodgers from injured reserve.
Another reason to put Rodgers on the shelf? As Rapoport reported Sunday, the veteran quarterback still hasn't completely healed from having surgery on his collarbone in October.
Rodgers looked a little rusty in the Packers' 31-24 loss to the Panthers, but McCarthy gave a mostly positive assessment of the 34-year-old's performance.
"Aaron Rodgers, I thought, did a lot of good things," McCarthy said. "When you see him come back after not playing for two months, there are so many things he makes look easy.
"If you go through it, if you look at the three interceptions -- two of them were more like long punts -- but those were all throws that he's made throughout his career. So, I think it was just a little a product of not playing for as long as he has. Because those are routine throws for him. But I thought he did a lot of good things."
With the playoffs out of reach, it remains to be seen if Rodgers will be on the field against the NFC North champion Minnesota Vikings on Saturday.
