Is Aaron Rodgers playing tonight vs. Chiefs in Week 9?

Green Bay Packers v New Orleans Saints
Green Bay Packers v New Orleans Saints

This week, Aaron Rodgers' name was on the equivalent of a carousel ride at your local fair. It was revealed, although inadvertently, that Rodgers tested positive for COVID-19.In the era of COVID-19 that we are currently still a part of, any time that an NFL player tests positive for COVID-19 means that in order to return to the field, they must test negative for the deadly virus. However, how long they must sit out depends on several factors, including whether or not the player is vaccinated or not.

With a huge game tonight looming against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs, will Aaron Rodgers be able to play tonight?

Will Aaron Rodgers play tonight against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 9?

It was widely reported this week that Rodgers was not vaccinated, and that he tested positive for COVID-19. According to the NFL protocols on COVID-19, since Rodgers is in fact unvaccinated, he will not be allowed to return to the team until November 13, which is a day before the Packers will suit up to face the Seattle Seahawks.

Therefore, Rodgers will not play in tonight's game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Jordan Love, the Packers' first-round selection of the 2020 NFL Draft, will finally get a chance to make his first NFL start. Despite seeing action in the preseason, Love will be going into battle at Arrowhead Stadium as the Packers look to extend their NFC North division lead.

They also hope to remain in contention for the bye week in the playoffs (remember, this year, the format changed so there is only one bye for each conference).

When will Aaron Rodgers be eligible to return to the Packers?

The NFL protocols on unvaccinated players testing positive for COVID-19 state that the player, Rodgers in this case, must sit out and isolate for a minimum of 10 days. He can return once he has produced two negative COVID-19 tests within a span of 24 hours.

At a minimum, this places his return the Saturday before the Week 10 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks. Of course, even at that point, it remains to be seen if he will play as it depends if he is able to meet the aforementioned protocols.

Even if Rodgers is able to suit up in Week 10, he will be at a slight disadvantage by not having the typical walkthroughs with the team. As we all know now, when dealing with COVID-19, nothing is normal.

The Green Bay Packers play the Kansas City Chiefs tonight at 4:25 p.m. EST at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri.

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Edited by Shivam Damohe