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New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) is helped off the field during the first quarter of an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills, Monday, Sept. 11, 2023, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger) SOURCE: Adam Hunger |
Four snaps made up Aaron Rodgers' entire New York Jets debut.
The four-time MVP and his startled supporters must now wait and learn how long he could be out.
During Monday night's 22-16 overtime victory over the Bills, Rodgers was sacked by Leonard Floyd of Buffalo and fell awkwardly on his left leg, tearing his left Achilles tendon.
Rodgers would get an MRI on Tuesday, according to coach Robert Saleh, who verified the injury following the game. After the game, the team reported that the X-rays were negative.
According to NFL Network, while Rodgers was being wheeled to the X-ray room, his left foot was in a black walking boot.
On the Jets' first play, Breece Hall ran for 26 yards before Rodgers, under intense pressure from Gregg Rousseau, threw his first ball away. On the following play, Rodgers attempted an incomplete pass, but Terrel Bernard was penalized for defensive holding.
The quarterback then attempted to elude charging Floyd, who caught him and carried him to the MetLife Stadium grass. Before trainers came to him, Rodgers looked to reach down and grab his leg. In a short while, he got to his feet, but he required assistance to reach New York's sideline.
To be evaluated, 39-year-old Rodgers was brought to the blue medical tent and placed on a trolley. He stepped off the trolley halfway there and staggered inside the changing room.
He was replaced just 3:45 into the game by Zach Wilson.
A crowd that had been boisterous moments earlier in anticipation of Rodgers' Big York debut was quieted by the injury. Frustrated Jets supporters anticipated Rodgers' arrival was the first step in the team's return to the Super Bowl since Joe Namath won the team's sole championship during the 1968 campaign.
On the 22nd anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Rodgers ran onto the pitch during player introductions with an American flag and was greeted by Jets supporters for the first time.
The quarterback received thunderous cheers as Method Man, a hip-hop singer and actor, announced Rodgers' name.
On April 26, Green Bay traded Rodgers, the No. 15 overall pick in this year's draught, and a fifth-round pick to New York. The Packers received the 13th overall pick, a second-round pick, a sixth-round pick, and a conditional second-round pick in 2024 that might advance to the first round if Aaron Rodgers participates in 65% of New York's plays this season.
When Rodgers, who played his first 18 seasons with Green Bay, stated he expected to win in New York and noted during his first press conference that the team's lone Super Bowl trophy looked "lonely," he boosted expectations for the Jets and their fan base.
If healthy, he would make Rodgers the Packers' starting quarterback after the Jets acquired Brett Favre from Green Bay in 2008, making him the Jets' most accomplished quarterback since that time.
In July, Rodgers agreed to a restructured contract that would provide him $75 million in fully guaranteed pay over the course of this season and the next. Rodgers has frequently stated that he won't be a one-and-done with the Jets. In comparison to the contract he had with Green Bay when he was expected to earn $110 million guaranteed, that equates to an almost $35 million pay drop.
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