The New York Jets‘ worst fears are expected to be realized. Aaron Rodgers is believed to have a torn Achilles, per head coach Robert Saleh. If true, he will be placed on injured reserve and miss the remainder of the season.
“We’re concerned for his Achilles. The MRI will probably confirm what we think is going to happen. Prayers tonight,” said Saleh after the game.
UPDATED (Sept. 12): According to multiple reports, Rodgers has indeed suffered a torn Achilles and is out for the season.
Rodgers went down on Monday Night Football after taking a sack from Buffalo Bills pass rusher Leonard Floyd. He was assisted to the blue medical tent before being carted off the field and into the Jets X-ray room.
Rodgers was reportedly “visibly despondent” as he was transported through MetLife Stadium. He will undergo an MRI on Tuesday for an official diagnosis.
Robert Saleh Confirms That Aaron Rodgers Has Achilles Injury
The future Hall of Famer didn’t even get a chance to complete his first pass for the Jets before suffering a season-ending injury. Rodgers played just four snaps, failing to connect on his only pass attempt, just months after New York acquired him from the Green Bay Packers just before the 2023 NFL Draft.
The Jets sent their 2023 first-round pick (No. 13), a 2023 second-round pick (No. 42), a 2023 sixth-round pick (No. 207), and a conditional 2024 second-round pick that becomes a first if Rodgers plays 65% of the plays this season in exchange to the Packers in exchange for Rodgers and a 2023 first (No. 15).
Clearly, Rodgers likely won’t manage a 65% snap rate in 2023, so the draft choice heading to Green Bay would stick as a second-rounder. That’s the only silver lining from a situation that still seems too surreal to have actually happened.
Rodgers has committed to at least two years in New York and is signed through the 2025 campaign under the terms of the discounted contract he accepted this summer.
Still, it’s fair to wonder whether Rodgers will return in 2024. He’ll be 40 years old heading into next season and coming off an injury that’s historically sapped a good deal of athleticism from its victims. But the idea of Rodgers hanging up his cleats next offseason– and sacrificing tens of millions of dollars — seems unlikely.
In the near term, what does Rodgers’ injury mean for the Jets’ Super Bowl chances? Going into tonight, the New York Jets had the 9th-shortest odds of winning the Super Bowl at DraftKings Sportsbook at +1800. Following Rodgers’ injury, their odds are now +2500, 12-shortest in the NFL.
Zach Wilson Is the Jets’ Next Man Up
New York surprisingly took down Buffalo after Rodgers left Monday’s game, but how long can they keep it up? The Jets needed a Josh Allen meltdown (three interceptions, one fumble, five sacks) and a miraculous overtime punt return touchdown from undrafted rookie free agent Xavier Gipson to pull out a 22-16 win on Monday.
Gang Green can’t count on the miraculous to occur every week. The Jets have one of the NFL’s elite defenses, but it’s hard to have much faith in Zach Wilson, who took over under center after Rodgers departed and profiles as the club’s starter for the remainder of the season.
That said, Saleh confirmed after the game that if Rodgers is, in fact, out for an extended period, Wilson is the next man up, saying in his postgame press conference, “Yeah, he’ll be the guy.”
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New York, of course, has already seen plenty of Wilson, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. The BYU product’s disastrous showing over his first two pro seasons led the Jets to pursue and eventually acquire Rodgers this spring.
Entering Monday night, Wilson had completed just 55.2% of his passes for 4,022 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 18 interceptions across 22 starts with the Jets. New York posted an 8-14 record in his starts.
Over the past decade, among quarterbacks with at least 15 starts over their first two NFL seasons, Wilson ranked third-worst in completion rate, passer rating, and adjusted net yards per attempt. The only signal-callers with worse results over that timeframe were Josh Rosen and DeShone Kizer.
Wilson stuck on the Jets’ roster this offseason because his rookie contract is fully guaranteed. Now, he’ll take over as the club’s starter while New York signs Tim Boyle from its practice squad to become its new No. 2.
