Aaron Rodgers New Chapter With The Jets Seems To End Right After It Begins
Jets Fear The Worst With Aaron Rodgers Likely Achilles Injury
Sideline Scoop Green Bay is a newsletter dedicated to all things Packers. If you’d like to join 900+ Packers fans who receive this newsletter throughout the week feel free to subscribe.
Last night all of America sat back in disbelief as Aaron Rodgers suffered what seems to be an achilles tear on his first drive with the New York Jets. This was supposed to be Aaron Rodgers last hoorah, a year to chase after his second super bowl. Instead it’s looking like his year is over just a few snaps after it began.
The Jets risked it all this off-season to pursue a future hall of famer. They believed that they were one top tier quarterback from having a real chance to be a true playoff contender. And just like that all the Jets hopes and dreams of a year with Aaron Rodgers leading the charge seem all but lost.
The second the injury happened you could tell something was very wrong. Rodgers stood up for a short second before he immediately sat back down, recognizing that what had just happened was very serious. The energy that had filled the stadium just moments earlier was suddenly snuffed out as everyone processed what had just happened.
After the game Jet’s head coach Robert Saleh made it clear that the injury is “not good”.
The anticipation of an Aaron Rodgers led Jets team dominated sports media for the entirety of the NFL off-season. Hope was at an all time high for a Jets fan base that have witnessed sub par quarterback play for far too long. Rodgers was supposed to be the guy that changed it all.
Odds are Rodgers is out for the season. I feel for him. I was excited to see what he would do in a new situation with a top tier defense, which is something he hadn’t had in Green Bay for a very long time.
Now every former Packer who followed Aaron to New York has to be sitting back in disbelief. Guys like Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb, and Adrian Amos. The Jets master plan crumbled in a matter of plays.
Somehow the Jets still pulled off the victory in an overtime thriller led by QB Zach Wilson. But if you watched Wilson yesterday, you know that the Jets stand no chance at being real playoff contenders with Wilson at QB. Watching the Jets offense was like watching paint dry. They couldn’t get anything going a majority of the night.
That has to be one of the most disappointing overtime wins in NFL history. Sure the Jets finished the night 1-0, beating their division rival, but now you are in the exact same situation as last season. The Jets once again have an elite defense with no quarterback able to take them over the hump. It’s a disaster.
I wouldn’t be shocked if the Jets pursue another option at quarterback because Zach Wilson is not the answer. Here are a few free agent QBs names I saw floated around on social media to potentially fill in for Rodgers: Colt Mccoy, Carson Wentz, and Nick Foles.
Of course these guys are nowhere near Aaron Rodgers level, but they are a step up from Zach Wilson. All they need is a veteran who doesn’t consistently make bad decisions. With their top tier defense they just need their offense to not be terrible and they’ll still be a competitive team.
How Rodgers Injury Affects The Packers
The trade that sent Aaron Rodgers from Green Bay to New York included a 2024 1st round conditional pick that hinged on Rodgers playing 65% of the snaps with the Jets this season. Not playing 65% of the Jets snaps would turn the pick into a 2024 2nd.
With it looking bleak for Aaron Rodgers chances of returning this season, odds are the Packers just lost a first round pick.
There’s no doubt that Rodgers and the Jets are affected much more than the Packers. Not only did the Jets give away two 2nd round picks, but they also took on Rodgers contract. I hope that Aaron Rodgers plays football again even if he’s out this season, but if he decided to hang it up after this year, the Jets would carry a $66,000,000 dead cap hit for Rodgers in 2024 (per overthecap).
It’s a very unfortunate situation for all sides, especially Aaron Rodgers. I feel for him. It has to be tough to prepare all off-season for this new chapter and then see it crumble right when it begins. I’ll be praying for a speedy recovery and I hope that we get to see Aaron Rodgers play football again.
Yesterdays Newsletters: