Julian Edelman Talks Breaking a Foot on Same Field Aaron Rodgers Tore His Achilles: 'We Need Grass' (Exclusive)

"There's a big turf vs. grass debate right now, and I'm riding with the players — we need grass," former Super Bowl MVP Edelman tells PEOPLE

Julian Edelman feels Aaron Rodgers' pain after the New York Jets quarterback suffered a season-ending injury at his home stadium — the former wide receiver broke a bone on the same turf field at MetLife Stadium back in 2015, and is advocating for a change from turf to real grass.

Edelman, 37, tells PEOPLE, "We really need to start thinking about the surfaces more and more," after an MRI confirmed that Rodgers, 39, suffered a complete tear to his Achilles, ending his highly-anticipated debut season with the Jets just minutes into Monday's game.

The former New England Patriot says he knows "that hard surface in New York" and has seen players "taken out" by the same turf field. "I broke a foot on that surface. I know that surface."

Edelman suspects there have been changes made to the field since his retirement in 2021, but proudly cements himself "on the players' side" when it comes to the NFL's great debate over the safety of turf fields over grass surfaces.

"There's a big turf vs. grass debate right now, and I'm riding with the players. We need grass."

Related: Tom Brady Posts Picture with Former Teammates Wearing Patriots Gear for New Movie: 'Back Together'

Edelman sympathizes with Rodgers and the Jets "because I've been in that situation," he explains. "I've been in a situation where you work all off-season super hard so you have your best season, you're looking forward to the beginning of the year. And I tore my ACL."

He continues, "For [Rodgers] to go out Week 1 and pop that Achilles, man...It sucks."

Edelman, the newest addition to Fox Sports' broadcast roster, says it was like "the wind got taken out" when Rodgers went down on Monday, because "it was so exciting, everything that he brought to the Jets," and says the loss of a star quarterback like Rodgers is a loss for the league and its fans.

"Not having Aaron Rodgers on the field this year...It's not good for the league," Edelman tells PEOPLE.

The retired Super Bowl MVP recently reunited with his former co-star on the Patriots, Tom Brady, as well as a handful of other retired NFL stars for PepsiCo's Frito-Lay and Beverages cheeky 2023 NFL Kickoff campaign, "Unretirement."

Related: Julian Edelman Has Hilarious Response to Learning His Patriots Number Has Been Reassigned

Dan Marino, Randy Moss, Jerry Rice, Emmitt Smith and current Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen also appear in the spot, which pokes fun at the possibility of stars who have been retired for more than a decade getting back out on the NFL field.

In a release, Allen, 27, said, "Growing up, PepsiCo brands were gameday staples in my household while I watched these NFL legends. I never thought I'd get to share the field with a football great like Dan Marino, so it was a blast to shoot this commercial alongside everyone and be part of their 'unretirement' experience."

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Edelman says he's genuinely a big fan of the PepsiCo Frito-Lay brand, and even admits to stocking up on the flavors unavailable in the United States.

"I like the Dill Pickle Lay’s, but it’s hard to find! Sometimes when I'm in Canada, I’ll fly in some ketchup Lays, Dill Lay's, and French onion dips," Edelman shares. "And of course, you're taking that bad boy down with a Mountain Dew, and then I do sip of Pepsi because I like that cola taste."

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