By BRENDAN MEYERS
On Monday Night Football in the opening week of the 2023 NFL season, star quarterback Aaron Rodgers suffered an injury minutes into his first start as a New York Jet.
With 11:40 left in the first quarter, Buffalo Bills outside linebacker Leonard Floyd sacked Aaron Rodgers for a ten yard loss. Rodgers initially got up and walked to the sideline with assistance from the trainer. He was then ruled out for the rest of the game with an ankle injury.
The Jets went on to beat the Bills 22-16 in overtime on an electric walk-off punt return for a touchdown. Even though they got the win, the Jets suffered a huge loss with their franchise quarterback going down.
Just two days later, Jets head coach Robert Saleh confirmed rumors that Rodgers tore his achilles and will need season ending surgery. This means the Jets will have to rely on former number two overall pick Zach Wilson to lead them to the playoffs. Wilson was benched last year due to his subpar play.
The Jets were looking to have a big year this season as many analysts claimed this roster was a good quarterback away from being a Super Bowl contender. They got that this offseason in Rodgers. The Jets traded away their 2023 first, second and sixth round picks to the Green Bay Packers in exchange for Rodgers and the Packers 2023 first and fifth round picks.
Then on Friday, a report from NFL Network came out saying Rodgers is trying to complete his surgery in four months compared to the normal timetable of six to twelve months. This would allow Rodgers to potentially come back in January for the playoffs—if the Jets would be in it.
The Jets’ front office will have a big decision to make whether they stick with Zach Wilson or if they try and acquire a more experienced quarterback.
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