After Aaron Rodgers Injury, Patriots Will See Same Old Jets In Week 3

Aaron Rodgers was supposed to be the New York Jets’ savior.

He was supposed to guide one of the NFL’s longest-suffering franchises back to the playoffs for the first time since 2010, to end its interminable procession of mediocre-or-worse quarterbacks.

In a swift, cruel, downright Jets-ian twist, that hope vanished Monday night.

On the fourth snap of his first drive as a Jet, Rodgers was sacked by Buffalo Bills edge rusher Leonard Floyd. His cleat stuck in the MetLife Stadium turf, and his Achilles tore.

An MRI on Tuesday confirmed what the Jets feared: Rodgers’ injury will sideline the four-time NFL MVP for the rest of the 2023 season. And with Rodgers set to turn 40 in early December, it could even be a career-ender.

Losing Rodgers leaves the Jets back in the familiar, unenviable position of having a formidable defense and a collection of exciting, talented offensive weapons but a gigantic question mark behind center.

For a reminder that no New York fan needs, here are the QBs who started games for the Jets between Brett Favre’s lone season with the team in 2008 and Rodgers’ one-night cameo:

Zach Wilson
Joe Flacco
Mike White
Chris Streveler
Sam Darnold
Luke Falk
Trevor Siemian
Josh McCown
Bryce Petty
Ryan Fitzpatrick
Geno Smith
34-year-old Michael Vick
Mark Sanchez
Tim Tebow
Greg McElroy
Kellen Clemens

The next man up now is Wilson, the No. 2 overall pick from 2021 who was so erratic on the field and reviled in the locker room that head coach Robert Saleh demoted him to third string last season.

Saleh said Wilson will be “the guy” in Rodgers’ absence, but the Jets quickly began reaching out to veteran free-agent QBs, according to a report Tuesday from The Athletic’s Dianna Russini. Potential options there include Colt McCoy, Carson Wentz, Nick Foles, Matt Ryan and Flacco, who spent the last two seasons with New York.

Former Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum also said the team should make an (almost certainly fruitless) attempt to lure Tom Brady out of retirement.

Odds are, it’ll be Wilson’s job for at least the next few weeks, which makes the New England Patriots’ upcoming Week 3 visit to East Rutherford much less daunting. Wilson is 0-4 in his career against New England and was thoroughly flummoxed by the Patriots’ defense last season, throwing three interceptions in one of their matchups and going 9-for-22 for 77 yards in the other. That second performance, coupled with his refusal to accept responsibility for the loss, got him benched.

But Rodgers’ injury doesn’t mean the Jets will be a noncompetitive team this season. They still were able to beat the three-time defending AFC East champion Bills on Monday night, capitalizing on four Josh Allen turnovers and notching a game-winning punt-return touchdown in overtime.

New York’s defense is one of the NFL’s best, and its offense features two of the league’s premier young skill players in wide receiver Garrett Wilson and running back Breece Hall, though its O-line currently is a major problem for whichever QB is playing behind it. Saleh’s squad still will be a tough out, just as it was last season when it muscled its way to a 7-10 record.

But a Super Bowl contender? A division winner? It’s hard to see this group achieving those goals with its four-time NFL MVP unavailable. And that’s good news for the other three combatants (New England, Buffalo and Miami) in what should be a wide-open, drag-out brawl in the AFC East this season.