Jets Head Coach Has Plans for Ex-MVP Aaron Rodgers After Season-Ending Achilles Injury
You might not have seen the last of Aaron Rodgers on a football field.
The future Hall of Fame quarterback suffered a season-ending Achilles’ heel injury during the New York Jets’ first game of the year against the Buffalo Bills on Monday.
Peyton and Eli react to Aaron Rodgers’ apparent injury. pic.twitter.com/sykQOyKjpk
— ESPN (@espn) September 12, 2023
The injury and its lengthy rehabilitation process raised doubts about the future of the 39-year-old Rodgers’ career in the NFL.
However, the Jets’ head coach doesn’t think the veteran quarterback is done.
“I haven’t gone down that road with him, but I’d be shocked if this is the way he’s gonna go out,” head coach Robert Saleh said of the prospect of Rodgers’ retirement on Wednesday.
“But at the same time for him, he’s got — working through a whole lot of things that he needs to deal with. And that will be the last thing I talk to him about.”
Robert Saleh on Aaron Rodgers’ future:
“I’d be shocked if this is the way he’s gonna go out” pic.twitter.com/Al70muoeSC
— Jets Videos (@snyjets) September 13, 2023
Saleh made it clear he’d like the four-time NFL MVP to stay involved with the team, offering to give Rodgers an in-game headset to communicate with backup quarterback Zach Wilson, now the starter.
“We’re limited on headsets, but if he wants a headset, he can have one,” the coach said, according to the New York Post.
“I think it’s very important,” Saleh said. “It’s important for him. I think for mental health and healing, I think it’s very important.”
Rodgers also rebuffed the idea that his career was over in an Instagram post on Wednesday — his first public statement since the season-ending injury.
“The night is darkest before the dawn,” he said. “And I shall rise yet again.”
“Proud of my guys, 1-0 🛩️ #”
View this post on Instagram
The Jets secured an overtime victory against the Bills after Rodgers’ departure from the field.
The outspoken quarterback, who arrived in New York earlier this year after spending his entire career with the Green Bay Packers, made it clear back in July that he wasn’t planning on staying in New York for just one season.
The 10-time Pro Bowl quarterback indicated that the length of his playing career would be determined by his physical health, according to NBC Sports.
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