The worst fears may be coming true for Jets fans. Aaron Rodgers looks to be lost for the season after just four plays. The ankle injury that Rodgers was initially diagnosed with when he was labeled questionable to return may in fact be an Achilles tear. That’s what head coach Robert Saleh told reporters after New York’s emotional 22-16 overtime win over the Buffalo Bills Monday.
“MRI is going to confirm what we think is already going to happen,” Saleh said after the game. “But it’s not good.” Rodgers will undergo the MRI Tuesday but it looks like the worst is already realized. There is no optimism from the team that Rodgers avoided a major injury.
Buy Jets TicketsSo after all that, the Jets are right back to where they were, with Zach Wilson as the starting quarterback. “Yeah, he’ll be the guy,” Saleh said when asked if Wilson will be the quarterback moving forward.
The Jets spent all offseason trying to upgrade the quarterback position, from Rodgers to Derek Carr to Matthew Stafford. And in a matter of five game minutes, they are back to the former No. 2 overall pick. The hope is that, between his work in the preseason and in leading the charge Monday night, Wilson has regained his confidence and can keep the ship afloat for the Jets.
Wilson went 14/21 for 140 yards with a touchdown and an interception in the 22-16 win Monday night. He’ll now be the guy and he has an immense challenge coming up. Their Week 2 opponent, the Dallas Cowboys, completely throttled the New York Giants on Sunday night 40-0.
The Jets already had a daunting task ahead of them to begin the season. Games against the Cowboys, Patriots, Chiefs, Broncos and Eagles were going to be tough with Rodgers under center. They just became even more challenging with Wilson under center.
The Jets are 1-0 after an emotional win over Buffalo. But it appears it came at the ultimate price. The very small silver lining is that the Jets will now get to keep their first-round pick in 2024. They will send a second-round pick to Green Bay. The condition on the pick was Rodgers had to play 65% of the offensive snaps for the pick to turn into a first. That obviously will not happen now. But now the Jets have to go without Rodgers, so it’s a major double-edged sword.
Bottom line, it’s all on Wilson now and the Jets have to rally around him. They don’t have much of a choice.
