Jets confirm torn Achilles for Aaron Rodgers

Tuesday update: An MRI has confirmed that Jets QB Aaron Rodgers has torn his Achilles, ending his 2023 season after just four snaps with his new team, NFL insider Ian Rapoport reports.

Rodgers’ season-ending injury also has ramifications for the Packers, as the conditional first-round pick that the Jets sent Green Bay in the trade package for Aaron Rodgers will now be a second-rounder. The terms of the conditional pick being a 2024 first-round selection required Rodgers to play 65%+ of snaps in the 2023 season.

The Jets odds to win the Super Bowl are now at +6000 after sitting around +1100 ahead of Week 1.

Steelers fans thought they had it bad in Week 1. They didn’t have it nearly as bad as Jets fans, who saw their new franchise quarterback, future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers take the field for the first time, just to see their Super Bowl hopes flash away in an instant.

After just four snaps on offense, Rodgers went down with a leg injury, which is feared to be a ruptured Achilles after the game, Ian Rapoport reports. He required assistance off the field before being examined in the medical tent, subsequently taken for x-rays (which were negative) and fitted for a walking boot.

If it is confirmed to be a ruptured Achilles, this could be more than just the end of the Jets Super Bowl hopes. It could also mean the end of Rodgers’ career. Regardless of whether you’re a Jets fan, Rodgers fan, Packers fan — whatever — it’s a brutal blow any time the best in the game are knocked out due to injury.

Rodgers, a 4x MVP and 4x All-Pro, was traded to the Jets back in the spring and seemed to be looking forward to a fresh start outside of Green Bay. He and the Jets were featured on HBO’s Hard Knocks this preseason, with Rodgers having a certain air of excitement in his demeanor that was almost tangible, making the news all the more disappointing for fans of the game.

Former second-overall pick out of the 2021 NFL Draft class Zach Wilson, who’s spent the offseason working under and learning from Rodgers, stands to be “the guy” for now, Saleh says. Still, it wouldn’t be surprising to see this team make a move elsewhere at quarterback given their current Super Bowl window, with a loaded roster on both sides of the ball.

Even if Wilson had taken steps forward in his development under Rodgers’ leadership, his 8-14 record as a starter, 55.2% completion rate and 15-18 touchdown touchdown-to-interception ratio over the course of his career doesn’t exactly inspire much confidence for a team loaded with that much talent.

It’s also worth noting how significant the loss of Rodgers would be for the landscape of the AFC. The Jets were, for the first time in years, considered true competitors, ranking top-six in odds to win Super Bowl 58 prior to Week 1. Expect those odds to come tumbling down if the worst is confirmed for Rodgers.