In case you somehow missed it, the Jets fear Aaron Rodgers has torn his Achilles in his debut on Monday night. It was one of the first few plays from scrimmage when Rodgers attempted to spin out of the hands of a Bills pass rusher when he suffered the injury.
The Jets still somehow pulled out the win in overtime thanks to three Josh Allen interceptions and a fumble, but New York is reeling this morning. It’s difficult not to feel bad for Rodgers, the Jets, and the NFL in general.
Football fans should want the best players on the field, and that franchise hasn’t enjoyed much success over its lifetime. Entering the offseason, the roster featured a handful of All-Pros, including the Offensive and Defensive Rookies of the Year. All that was missing was a competent signal caller.
When the Jets acquired Aaron Rodgers, their Super Bowl odds jumped significantly. I was excited to see what he could do in the Big Apple, but that’s no longer a reality. For Gang Green, all the focus shifts to Zach Wilson or potentially another option.
A lot of people are suggesting Tom Brady, Phillip Rivers, and Matt Ryan. All three veterans are probably capable of leading that dominant defense to the playoffs. The former Falcons quarterback and Brady played more recently than Rivers, but the most likely seems to be Ryan, given Brady’s ‘retirement’ and induction into the Patriots Hall of Fame over the weekend.
Could the Jets actually draw ex-Falcons QB Matt Ryan out of the booth?
Ryan assumed a new role in 2023, joining CBS in the broadcast booth and making his debut over the weekend. However, he’s left the door open for a return to the field.
Sometimes this league retires players before they decide they want to hang up their cleats; it seems that’s the case for Matt Ryan. It’s not necessarily that he isn’t a fit for the Jets because he could probably scrape together a good enough campaign to lead that stout defense to the postseason.
It has more to do with New York. Matt Ryan, Phillips Rivers, Carson Wentz, Tom Brady, or any other free agent on the street doesn’t give them an overwhelmingly better chance at winning than Zach Wilson.
Wilson is the one with knowledge of the playbook and relationships in the locker room. Sure, if Tom Brady had spent the entire offseason in camp with these guys, he’d undoubtedly give the Jets a better chance.
However, that’s just not the case. I expect the Jets to galvanize themselves around Aaron Rodgers’ injury and throw their support behind Zach Wilson. I wouldn’t expect the former Falcons quarterback to even be brought up in New York.
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Photographer: Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire
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