The New York Jets had a big problem when their best quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, hurt his Achilles tendon so badly that he cannot play for the whole season. They found out about this through an MRI scan report. However, head coach Robert Saleh wasted no time in giving his strong vote of confidence to young quarterback Zach Wilson, who is now stepping into the starting role.
During a Zoom call with reporters, Saleh expressed his surprise at the notion that their playoff hopes were doomed without Rodgers. He declared, “I don’t know why people are trying to put an obituary under our team name.”
Rodgers, a four-time MVP and the centerpiece of the Jets’ big offseason moves sustained the injury just four snaps into the new season. He’s been put on the Injured list because he got hurt, and he’ll have an operation to fix his Achilles tendon. Saleh did not provide a specific recovery timeline but indicated their hope is for Rodgers to stay with the team during his rehabilitation.
MRI confirms Aaron Rodgers has complete tear of Achilles tendon. https://t.co/gMVeTHE9Ab
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) September 12, 2023
Because of the injury, people started thinking about who might take the injured player’s place. It’s likely that the Jets will hire an experienced quarterback to help out. However, Saleh made it clear that Zach Wilson is their new QB1, and no acquisition would compete with the former first-round pick.
“Zach’s our quarterback, We’ve got a lot of faith in Zach. This is Zach’s team, and we’re rolling with Zach.”: Saleh Said
Wilson, who faced challenges last season and was demoted twice, will make his 23rd career start this Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys. The Jets plan had originally been for Wilson to learn under Rodgers for a couple of years before reclaiming the starting role. However, Rodgers’ injury altered those plans early in the Jets’ season-opening victory against the Buffalo Bills.
As Rodgers tried to evade a tackle from defensive end Leonard Floyd, his left leg was caught in the turf, resulting in the Achilles rupture. A slow-motion replay showed the strain on his left calf, the same calf he had injured during OTAs. Even though Rodgers really wanted to, he couldn’t stand up after getting hurt, so he had to leave the game.
To help the team in the next game, the Jets are bringing in Tim Boyle, who has played for different teams before, from the practice squad. Now, everyone is looking at Zach Wilson to see how well he can lead the team without Rodgers.
