It was supposed to be a chance at a special season for the New York Jets. Coming off a surprisingly good season under rookie head coach Robert Saleh in 2022, the Jets felt they were only a piece or two away from being contenders. With a ball-hawking, hard-hitting defense and two of the top offensive rookies in Breece Hall and Garrett Wilson, things looked to be all roses for Gang Green.
The problem, as always, was at quarterback. The franchise has had abysmal luck in terms of selecting a long-term signal caller. Despite numerous first-round attempts, including the most recent disappointment in BYU’s Zach Wilson, the Jets simply haven’t been able to provide an answer at the most important position.
That’s why when the Jets went out and opened their wallets for former Packer and future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers, Jet fans everywhere rejoiced. Despite Rodgers’s age, 39, he is only a season removed from a league MVP award, and with the plethora of talent surrounding the aging star, all arrows were pointing up.
Turns out the good vibes lasted all of four snaps Monday night in the team’s home opener. Four plays in, Rodgers was pulled down on what looked to be a routine sack, except for the fact that his left foot bent in a way that left feet shouldn’t bend.
Rodgers immediately clutched his calf as if he knew it was bad. And it was bad. Really bad. The cart came out, and Rodgers was immediately taken to the locker room and declared out shortly thereafter. Despite the fact that X-rays were negative, fans, analysts, and internet doctors alike all agreed this was a season-ender.
The Jets went on to win the game in dramatic fashion on a punt return in overtime behind first-round bust Zach Wilson, but expectations have to be tempered based on the bad news Tuesday morning. An MRI revealed the worst-case scenario: Rodgers has torn his Achilles tendon and is done for the year.
After the game, coach Robert Saleh spoke about the injury: “Personally, I don’t hurt for me, I don’t hurt for our locker room. I hurt for Aaron.” The team also released a statement on social media:“Not the way any of us wanted it to go, but we know the commitment you’ve made to this team will continue to impact us moving forward,”
Tuesday, Saleh stood up before the press and put his full confidence behind Zach Wilson despite the reports that the team was reaching out to several veteran quarterbacks. Saleh said: “I don’t know why people are trying to put an obituary under our team name. I do want to make it very clear: Zach’s our quarterback. We’ve got a lot of faith in Zach. This is Zach’s team and we’re rolling with Zach.”
Rodgers has yet to speak to the press, but according to Saleh, he is upset about the opportunity that has been taken by injury. The coach said: “As you guys can imagine, he’s down. I’ll let him answer those questions. I didn’t get into the future of what he’s expecting or what he’s thinking. I think that’s a conversation, tactfully, left for another day. But he’s, as you can imagine, with everything that he’s invested in this, he’s obviously a little disappointed. We all want him to be connected and I think he wants to be here.”
It is unclear what the future holds for Aaron Rodgers. He is pushing 40 but has kept his body in remarkably good shape, so a comeback isn’t out of the question. He also signed for two years, and at this point, no one expects Zach Wilson to be much more than a game manager moving forward.
The window is open, and the talent is in place for the Jets to be a Super Bowl contender. However, it might have to wait for Aaron Rodgers and his rehab. Barring a miraculous transformation by Zach Wilson, the Jets are looking at yet another season of unfulfilled promise and disappointed fans.
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