GREEN BAY, Wis. — Aaron Rodgers’ return is a step closer.

The Green Bay Packers’ two-time MVP quarterback, who was placed on injured reserve after breaking his right collarbone Oct. 15 against Minnesota, is on track to practice Saturday, Coach Mike McCarthy said.

“He’s got a workout today that we’ll obviously evaluate,” McCarthy said Friday. “We’re looking tomorrow to potentially practice him in a trial return. That’s the outlook.”

Rodgers had surgery on Oct. 19 and was placed on injured reserve the following day. NFL rules allow teams to bring back two players off injured reserve. Those players must be sidelined for a minimum of six weeks; Friday marked six weeks for Rodgers.

Rodgers threw several passes of at least 50 yards before Sunday night’s loss to Pittsburgh.

“You saw him throwing out there in Pittsburgh,” quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt said Thursday. “He’s doing well. He’s getting healthy and he’s following right along in rehab. He’s probably ahead of the curve a little bit, but there’s really not anything to talk about until there’s something to talk about.”

Now there is something to talk about. If the Packers (5-6) can stay in the playoff race by beating Tampa Bay (4-7) on Sunday and Cleveland (0-11) next weekend, Rodgers could return for the Dec. 17 game at Carolina.

PATRIOTS: New England will be without wide receiver Chris Hogan and tackle Marcus Cannon again this weekend. The two players were absent from Friday’s practice and will miss their fourth consecutive game.

Whether or not the Patriots have their backup right tackle, LaAdrian Waddle, remains to be seen.

Hogan (shoulder) and Cannon (ankle) suffered their injuries in Week 8 against the Los Angeles Chargers. Neither has been seen at practice since. Both have missed the last three contests against Denver, Oakland and Miami.

For the Patriots, the biggest question mark right now surrounds Waddle. The backup tackle, who’s made three starts in a row, left last weekend’s game because of an ankle injury. He missed the first practice of the week on Wednesday, but returned Thursday and Friday. It’s been noticeable that Waddle has been one of the last players to arrive at practice each other last two days.

If Waddle can’t play, the Patriots will rely on Cameron Fleming. Fleming has made 15 starts in his career, nine coming at tackle and six coming as a tackle-eligible tight end.

RAIDERS: Wide receiver Amari Cooper has been ruled out for Sunday’s game against the New York Giants.

Cooper suffered a concussion and sprained left ankle after being hit by Denver safety Darian Stewart in the first half of last week’s 21-14 win over the Broncos. Cooper had to be helped off the field, and he limped out of the locker room after the game. He was eventually put into the NFL’s concussion protocol.

• Guard Gabe Jackson was fined $30,387 by the NFL for making contact with an official in the game against Denver.

FALCONS: Atlanta cornerback Desmond Trufant is sidelined because of a concussion and won’t play Sunday when the Falcons host Minnesota.

Coach Dan Quinn has ruled Trufant out, but the Falcons (7-4) got some good news when cornerback Brian Poole was upgraded as a limited participant after missing the first two days of practice this week because of a back injury.

CARDINALS: Arizona signed defensive lineman Corey Peters to a three-year contract extension that could keep him with the team through 2020.

Peters, 29, has started nine games this season, amassing 25 tackles, one sack and one pass defended.

The NFL is committing $90 million over the next seven years to social justice causes in a three-segment plan that involves league players.

In a memo sent to the 32 teams and obtained by The Associated Press, the league unveiled what it calls a new and expanded program of community improvement. The NFL Foundation is putting a $3 million grant into the program.

Each NFL team will contribute to the plan, much of which will be funded through “cause related events and consumer products sales, auctions and other promotional sources,” as well as contributions from clubs.