Aaron Rodgers’ Tragedy Just Ended His Jets Season Before It Even Began
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He was on the field for game one of the 2023/24 season, with his brand-new team, for just four snaps, but Aaron Rodgers’ injury is a season-ender.
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Rodgers began his football career at Butte College in 2002 before transferring to the University of California for the Golden Bears. He would set several career records during that time, including the lowest single-season and career interception rates. In 2005, he was drafted to play in the National Football League by the Green Bay Packers as a backup for Brett Favre for his first three years. In 2008, he was Green Bay’s starting quarterback and by 2010, he’d led them to a Super Bowl Victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was awarded league MPV and named Associated Press’ Athlete of the Year in 2011.
But his move to the New York Jets was one of the biggest talking points of the 2022 football season. During a regular appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, Rodgers said his intention is to continue playing NFL but that “the Packers would like to move on. They’ve let me know that in so many words. They’ve let other people know that in direct words.” He continued: “And because I still have that fire and I want to play and I would like to play in New York, it’s just a matter of getting that done at this point.”
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On Monday, September 11, 2023, the stage was set for Rodgers to reignite the Jets under his leadership, but after just four snaps, it was seemingly all over. Here’s what we know about Aaron Rodgers’ injury.
Aaron Rodgers’ injury
Aaron Rodgers’ injury was such a huge shock to football fans on the Monday night game because the all-star quarterback was only on the field for four snaps before he went down. He’ll now miss the rest of the season as an MRI confirmed the all-star quarterback had torn his Achilles on Tuesday, September 12, 2023.
“An MRI confirmed today that Aaron Rodgers officially tore his Achilles on the fourth play of his Jets’ career. Rodgers’ season now, officially, is over,” tweeted ESPN Senior NFL Insider Adam Schefter. “There already are questions about whether his Hall-of-Fame career is, too.”
He added: “Aaron Rodgers’ torn Achilles might be the most devastating injury to a team and fan base in NFL history. There never has been a player who received more off-season hype, who raised another team’s expectations more, who had his season end 4 plays in without ever completing a pass.”
On Monday night, coach Robert Saleh said the team believed Rodgers ruptured his left Achilles tendon when he was sacked by Buffalo’s Leonard Floyd and fell awkwardly during the Jets’ 22-16 overtime win over the Bills. Rodgers could be seen standing up for a few moments but needed help getting to the sideline. He was taken into the blue medical tent to be examined and then limped inside to the locker room.
“Concerned with his Achilles. MRI is probably going to confirm what we think is going to happen, so prayers tonight. But it’s not good,” a somber Saleh said, per AP. Saleh went on to explain that Rodgers would have an MRI on Tuesday, September 12 after X-rays during the game came back negative. “Personally, I don’t hurt for me, I don’t hurt for our locker room,” Saleh said. “I hurt for Aaron and how much he has invested in all of this. I’m going to say a prayer. I’m still going to hold out hope. But my heart’s with Aaron right now, nobody else.”
His teammate, Allen Lazard, who played five seasons with Rodgers in Green Bay, told reporters: “Obviously, just seeing how he responded to getting up and everything and limping off the field, it wasn’t anything good,” he said. “But honestly, it’s almost like comical just on how this whole offseason played out for him to go down the first game without even completing a pass and everything.”
The Achilles tendon—also known as the calcaneal tendon—is the largest tendon in the body, stretching from your heel bone to your calf muscle and it can handle about four times a person’s body weight. Almost one in four athletes will suffer an Achilles tendon injury in their lifetime.
“The classic sign of a ruptured Achilles tendon is feeling (and sometimes hearing) a pop or snap at the back of your ankle,” per the Cleveland Clinic. “People often mistakenly think something has hit them, but they’re actually feeling the tendon snap.”
Other common symptoms include:
Sharp, sudden pain in the back of the ankle near the heel.
Swelling and bruising in the back of the ankle.
Pain when walking, especially upstairs or uphill.
Tenderness in the spot where the tendon is torn.
Achilles tear recovery time
The Achilles tear recovery time can vary depending on treatment and severity of the rupture. There are two ways to treat it: nonsurgical, which involves crutches, ice, and a walking boot. There are benefits to this, like reducing the risk of infection but rehabilitation can take longer.
“Some prompt treatment is important, however, as a torn Achilles tendon will seldom heal on its own,” writes Asheesh Bedi, MD, on SportsMD.com. “With rupture, the muscle belly and tendon retract proximally into the calf and leave a large “gap” defect that cannot heal.”
If it is a rupture, as the Jets medical staff guess, it’s more likely that Rodgers will have surgery. “Depending on the condition of the torn tissue, the repair might be reinforced with other tendons,” according to the Mayo Clinic. “After either treatment, you’ll have physical therapy exercises to strengthen your leg muscles and Achilles tendon. Most people return to their former level of activity within four to six months. It’s important to continue strength and stability training after that because some problems can persist for up to a year.”
With some of the best sports medicine staff, the average length of recovery is in the 10-12 month range, meaning at worst, Rodgers has just bid farewell to his first season at the Jets.
Why did Aaron Rodgers leave Green Bay?
“When I came out, it was evident that it was retire or move on to a new team,” Rodgers told Fox Sports in April 2023. Both sides of the deal—Rodgers and the Packers—complained of a lack of communication in the months leading to his departure.
“People that know me — I’m fortunate to live in a beautiful house,” Rodgers said. “The only downside is I have very limited cell service so if you want to get ahold of me, I have to see your face. You‘ve got to FaceTime me. My only response to the communication thing is, there’s records in your phone about who called you when — FaceTime. And there wasn’t any specific FaceTimes from the numbers that I was looking at. My point was that if there was a change that wanted to be made, why wasn’t that told to me earlier in the offseason?”
He later told said in an interview with SNY that he was “hungry” to start with a new team. “I know it’s been a long time since we’ve been in the playoffs — even longer time since we’ve been in the Super Bowl — but I promise I’m as hungry as you guys are. I’m excited to meet you all and be a part of something special.”
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