Jets confirm Aaron Rodgers out for the season with torn left Achilles tendon
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- It's the tackle felt by every Jets fan.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers is out for the season after getting injured Monday night against the Buffalo Bills, the Jets announced Tuesday afternoon.
Rodgers' regular season debut was cut short when he was sacked by Buffalo's Leonard Floyd and fell awkwardly just a few minutes into the game. Rodgers had an MRI on Tuesday, which showed a fully torn left Achilles tendon that will require surgery, head coach Robert Saleh confirmed during a news conference.
"I feel more for Aaron than anyone," Saleh said. "He has invested so much into this organization, so much into this journey that he has embarked on and wanted to be a part of, what we have going on here, and how much he has invested, not only in this organization, but in his teammates, himself, this fanbase, this city. So I have a lot of emotions for him, as for us ... It's really all about him. It is. I don't look at it as 'woe is me' here, or the organization. I think guys are excited to step up and continue what we have been building. But there is a lot of hurt for Aaron."
Rodgers stood up after falling, but needed help getting to the sidelines. He was taken to the medical tent to be examined, was carted off, and then limped back inside the locker room. A walking boot was placed on his injured left leg, and though initial reports said x-rays showed no damage to his ankle, the speculation was another kind of injury.
"Seeing it go down this first game, so quickly in, it's just ... I mean, it sucks, man. And I'm going to keep them in my prayers. It just sucks," wide receiver Garrett Wilson said.
"He's a great teammate, a great leader. You know, it just caught us off guard, but you know we're dedicated to winning the game to him," cornerback Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner said.
READ MORE: Jets fans devastated by Aaron Rodgers' season-ending injury
Earlier Tuesday, the Jets took to X, the social media service formerly known as Twitter, and said, "Not the way any of us wanted it to go, but we know the commitment you've made to this team and will continue to impact us moving forward. Get well soon."
CBS New York's Otis Livingston was inside MetLife Stadium on Monday night and described the mood after Rodgers went down.
"It was like the wind just completely left the stadium," CBS New York's Otis Livingston said. "It was like everyone's emotions just went crazy. You just couldn't believe it. I know there's a lot of pessimistic Jets fans, long-suffering Jets fans, who think 'We can't have nice things. We got Aaron Rodgers. We have a chance to go to the Super Bowl.' And now this. They can't believe this."
Livingston called it devastating news for fans and the organization.
"They have such high hopes. Again, Aaron Rodgers was here. Those kind of free agents don't come to New York Jets and give them an opportunity," Livingston said. "He saw them last year when he played against them, so he knew what team they had here in New York, especially on that defensive side, and he felt like that he was that missing piece. So he came in, he was all in."
Livingston said the injury makes quarterback Zach Wilson "the most valuable player on this team now."
Saleh said Zach Wilson will be the starter this Sunday at Dallas. The Jets are expected to bring in a veteran quarterback, but for now the third-year signal-caller out of BYU is the guy.
"This is Zach's team and we are rolling with Zach," Saleh said.
Zach Wilson finished Monday night's game 14 of 21 for 140 yards, with a touchdown and an interception, making key throws at key times that allowed the Jets to hang around long enough to give them a chance to win, which they did 22-16 in overtime.
Saleh said the players' reaction to Rodgers' injury is proof positive that the Jets can still be expected to be very good this season.
"I don't know why people are trying to put an obituary under our team name," Saleh said. "Aaron is an unbelievable piece of this whole thing and we love him, but I think there are 52 other guys in the locker room, plus the 16 practice squad guys that believe we can do a hell of a lot of good things here. We've got a championship-caliber defense. We have great skills guys on the offensive side of the ball. Our O-line is going to continue to jell and get better. We are excited about our group. We have worked hard over the last couple of years -- players, coaches, scouts, GM -- building a pretty cool organization, so there is a lot of faith in the locker room on the things that we can still accomplish this year.
"So while the outside world can go ahead and write whatever story they want to write, there is still the true story being written in this building," Saleh added.
"With all the stuff going into the offseason, going into this game, the hype, the media, you guys, it's just like, of course, you can't write this stuff. But it's a lesson to not only us but to everyone. This is what happens in life. You can't predict this stuff. You can't plan for it. You just have to respond," wide receiver Allen Lazard said.
Rodgers' injury brings back really bad memories for long-suffering Jets fans. Back in 1999, during another season opener where they had Super Bowl hopes, their leader and quarterback, Vinny Testaverde, also went down with a torn Achilles. Ironically, Testaverde was in the building Monday night for the opening coin toss.
Rodgers' injury is being felt across the sports world and beyond. Even New York Gov. Kathy Hochul had words of encouragement for the Jets and their fans.
"When times get tough, [Jets] fans know how to come together. Wishing Aaron Rodgers a speedy recovery," Hochul wrote on X.
