Aaron Rodgers carted off less than 5 minutes into Jets debut, team fears Achilles injury
The Jets still stunned the Bills in overtime to kick off their season after Xavier Gipson ran back a punt 65-yards for a touchdown
Less than five minutes into Aaron Rodgers' first game with the New York Jets on Monday, before he even threw for a completion, he left the game with an injury. The cart had to come get him from the medical tent and take him back to the locker room.
The Jets just can't have nice things.
In the first quarter of his much-anticipated debut with the Jets, Rodgers was sacked by Leonard Floyd. It didn't look like a bad hit or an obvious injury. But Rodgers looked at the sideline and then took a seat on the MetLife Stadium turf, signaling he was injured. He was helped off by the training staff and went to the medical tent. The Jets said Rodgers had an ankle injury and his return was questionable. During the second quarter, Rodgers was ruled out and the Jets added that X-rays were negative.
After the Jets' wild 22-16 overtime win, head coach Robert Saleh said the situation was "not good." Rodgers is set to undergo an MRI on Tuesday, and the team believes he's sustained an Achilles injury.
Breaking: Robert Saleh tells us concerns with Aaron Rodgers’ Achilles. Will confirm tomorrow. But Saleh says it’s “not good”@YahooSports pic.twitter.com/VdIQFHDeKM
— Jori Epstein (@JoriEpstein) September 12, 2023
Rodgers had officially thrown just one pass, which was an incompletion that he threw away when he was under pressure. He played four snaps before leaving the game.
The play Aaron Rodgers suffered his injury:pic.twitter.com/Paa9IXAkTt https://t.co/X1QAX6XcmM
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) September 12, 2023
Zach Wilson came on after Rodgers' injury and a few plays later the Jets punted. After the punt, a cart came to the Jets' medical tent and Rodgers was carted off to the locker room. When he got off the cart, he was limping badly, favoring his left leg.
"We still have a hell of a group of guys," Jets coach Robert Saleh told ESPN's Lisa Salters at the end of the first quarter. "Obviously Aaron is a big part of that, but we still have an unbelievable defense, we've got a lot of great guys on offense and we'll get this thing done."
Wilson finished the night throwing 14-of-21 for 140 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Gipson, after the Jets rallied with 13 straight points in the second half and made it to overtime, then ran back the punt in the extra period to seal the win.
The Jets made a huge trade for Rodgers this offseason. Rodgers, the four-time MVP, was on to just his second NFL team after many great years with the Green Bay Packers. The Jets were excited about the possibility of Rodgers helping break the longest playoff drought in the NFL, dating back to 2010. The Jets were featured on HBO's "Hard Knocks," which just increased the hype. Rodgers spoke often over the past few weeks about how much he was enjoying his new teammates. Before the game, ESPN aired an interview with Rodgers and tennis legend John McEnroe in which Rodgers reiterated his belief the Jets could make a Super Bowl.
And then less than five minutes into the Rodgers era, Jets fans had their hearts in their throats.