Aaron Rodgers—NFL’s 4th Highest-Paid Player—Tore Achilles In Jets Debut, Report Says

Topline

After making just one pass attempt in his New York Jets debut, four-time MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers tore his Achilles tendon in his New York debut and will need season-ending surgery, the Jets confirmed on Tuesday, putting the 39-year-old’s career in question after landing a blockbuster deal with the Jets after nearly two decades with the Green Bay Packers.

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers will miss the rest of the 2023 season.

Getty Images

Key Facts

Rodgers tore his Achilles on just his fourth play with the Jets in their season opener Monday night against the Buffalo Bills, according to a team MRI, Jets head coach Robert Saleh confirmed in a press conference Tuesday afternoon, leaving the future of the Jets’ season up to 24-year-old back-up quarterback Zach Wilson.

The injury, which draws parallels to career rival Tom Brady’s season-ending knee injury in the New England Patriots’ season opener in 2008, comes five months after Rodgers announced plans to join the Jets, and after he restructured his contract to rake in a guaranteed $75 million in his first two seasons in New York.

The quarterback is the fourth highest-paid NFL player this year at $47.9 million, including $36.9 million in on-field earnings and $11 million in endorsements and other off-field deals, surpassed only by Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes and Nick Bosa, according to Forbes’ estimates.

Rodgers was also the world’s 28th highest-paid athlete in the 12-month period ending May 1, making $53 million between both on-field and off-field contracts, according to Forbes.

In a post on X, the Jets wrote the injury is “not the way any of us wanted it to go, but we know the commitment [Rodgers has]

made to this team will continue to impact us moving forward.”

News Peg

Despite the injury, Wilson and the Jets—the worst team in the AFC East last season—were able to muster up a comeback over the Bills, last year’s AFC East champion, with a dramatic overtime game-winning punt return, going on to win by a score of 22-16.

Key Background

Rodgers agreed to join the New York Jets in April, after 18 seasons in Green Bay with 10 Pro Bowl nods and one Super Bowl championship, taking a remarkably similar path as his predecessor in Green Bay, Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre, who also signed with the Jets at the age of 39. The blockbuster trade gave New York the 15th and 170th overall picks in the 2023 draft, while Green Bay received the 13th, 42nd and 207th picks in the 2023 draft plus a draft selection in 2024. After signing Rodgers, the Jets have also loaded their offensive core with a group of former Packers, including wide receivers Randall Cobb and Allen Lazard, as well as Minnesota Vikings star running back Dalvin Cook.

Tangent

Since Rodgers only played four snaps in his Jets debut, and will likely miss the entire season, the Jets will owe the Packers a second-round draft pick in next year’s NFL draft, as opposed to a first-round pick they had agreed to send to Green Bay under the condition that Rodgers played in at least 65% snaps in his first year with the Jets.

Surprising Fact

The Jets have not won or appeared in the Super Bowl since 1969, their lone Vince Lombardi trophy. They have not made the playoffs since 2010, when they lost to the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Conference Championship game.