New York Jets Quarterback Aaron Rodgers Injured on Opening Drive

The New York Jets faced every team's nightmare on their opening drive of the 2023 season. Four-time Associated Press MVP Aaron Rodgers suffered what appeared to be a severe foot injury on only his fourth snap as a Jet and had to be helped off the field in his team's Monday Night Football matchup against the Buffalo Bills.

Rodgers has been downgraded to out. His x-rays were negative. https://t.co/TjZv03DrQF
— New York Jets (@nyjets) September 12, 2023

Rodgers was pressured on all three of his dropbacks, throwing a single incompletion and absorbing one sack on which he was injured. He was assisted to the Jets' blue medical tent before being carted to the locker room. He was quickly declared out, though the Jets offered a ray of hope by noting that Rodgers' initial x-rays were negative.

Unfortunately, that doesn't necessarily mean Rodgers is out of the woods. ESPN's Adam Schefter noted at half-time that Rodgers left the locker room in a boot and that doctors and team officials fear a potentially season-ending Achilles injury. Rodgers will undergo further testing to reveal the extent of the injury. In the best-case scenario, he may be dealing with a high ankle sprain.

It's a tragic turn of events for the Jets, who traded for Rodgers this offseason in the hopes of contending for the Super Bowl. Now, they find themselves locked into $75 million guaranteed over the next two years to a 39-year-old quarterback facing a potentially catastrophic injury. If Rodgers' has indeed suffered the dreaded Achilles tear, the Jets could be doomed in 2024 as well as 2023.

For now, the football world can only cross its fingers and hope that Rodgers' injury is relatively mild. Quarterbacks have managed to avoid significant missed time following high ankle sprains. Kansas City Chiefs two-time MVP Patrick Mahomes notably suffered one during the AFC Championship and managed to return in the game and eventually carry his team to a Super Bowl. In a perfect world, this moment could set up similar heroics for Rodgers down the line.