Met Life Stadium was electric as the New York Jets opened their season Monday night hosting the Buffalo Bills. The sellout crowd roared when Aaron Rodgers was introduced, the anticipation of having a Super Bowl champion and four time NFL MVP lead the Jets back to prominence was at fever pitch. It lasted all of four snaps. On New York’s fourth offensive play, former Chicago Bear Leonard Floyd sacked Rodgers, twisting his legs as he went down. And the former Packers great stayed on the ground. After hobbling to the sideline and getting examined under the blue medical tent, Rodgers was carted to the locker room where a boot was placed on his left foot. The Jets announced that Rodgers was at first questionable to return and later ruled out for the night with an ankle injury but it appears to be much worse than that. New York Head Coach Robert Saleh said after the game the initial diagnosis was a torn Achilles tendon and if an MRI scheduled for today confirms it, Rodgers will be lost for the season. Zach Wilson, the Jets’ former number one pick came on and threw a touchdown pass as New York’s defense forced four Josh Allen turnovers but the Bills made a field goal that glanced off the upright to force overtime which is when rookie Xavier Gipson ended the night with a 65 yard, walk off punt return touchdown as the Jets beat the Bills 22-16. Saleh said the emotional swings were difficult but “his heart is with Aaron right now”. The injury impacts the Packers who traded Rodgers this spring, exchanging first round draft picks, getting a second rounder with a conditional second round choice coming in 2024. It could have risen to a first round choice if Rodgers played in 65% of New York’s offensive snaps this season but that obviously won’t happen if New York’s worst nightmare is realized.
The career parallels of Rodgers and Brett Favre continue to be uncannily similar. Both had Hall of Fame careers in Green Bay, were Super Bowl champions, winning multiple Most Valuable Player Awards (Favre 3, Rodgers 4). Both had quarterback successors drafted at the height of their careers. Rodgers arrived in 2005 and waited three seasons before getting the starting job when Favre came out of retirement but was traded to the Jets. In 2020, Green Bay drafted Jordan Love who also spent three years as the backup before taking over when the Packers made the deal to send Rodgers to New York. And in Favre’s only season with the Jets, he at least got off to a strong start, throwing 6 touchdown passes in his fourth game, leading New York to an 8-3 record but he ruptured a biceps tendon in his right arm and the Jets season collapsed and they failed to make the playoffs. Now Rodgers has gone down, tragically in the first series with his new team.
