Aaron Rodgers hurts ankle in first series for Jets, is carted off sideline and ruled out of game
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers is helped off the field after an injury during the first quarter of the NFL game against the Buffalo Bills at MetLife Stadium on September 11, 2023 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Aaron Rodgers' debut with the New York Jets lasted just four snaps.
And now the four-time MVP and a shell-shocked fanbase will have to see how long he might be sidelined.
Rodgers injured his left ankle when he was sacked by Buffalo's Leonard Floyd and fell awkwardly on the leg Monday night. He was ruled out for the rest of the game, the Jets announced midway through the second quarter. X-rays were negative, the team added.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers is sacked by defensive end Leonard Floyd of the Buffalo Bills during the first quarter of the NFL game at MetLife Stadium on September 11, 2023 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
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NFL Network reported Rodgers' left foot was in a black walking boot as he was carted to the X-ray room.
After a 26-yard run by Breece Hall on the Jets' opening play, Rodgers threw his first pass away after getting heavy pressure from Gregg Rousseau. Rodgers threw incomplete on the next play, but Terrel Bernard was called for defensive holding.
Then, Rodgers tried to avoid a rushing Floyd, who wrapped up the quarterback and took him down to the MetLife Stadium turf. Rodgers appeared to reach down at his leg before trainers attended to him. He stood up after a few moments, but needed help getting to New York’s sideline.
The 39-year-old Rodgers was taken to the blue medical tent to be examined — and then sat on a cart. Halfway to the locker room, he hopped off the cart and limped inside.
Zach Wilson replaced him just 3:45 into the game.
The injury silenced a crowd that had been raucous just minutes earlier, anticipating Rodgers' Big Apple debut. The Jets haven't made it to the Super Bowl since Joe Namath won the franchise's only championship during the 1968 season, and frustrated fans hoped Rodgers' arrival was the first step to getting back to the big game.
Rodgers jogged onto the field during player introductions with an American flag in hand on the 22nd anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks and received his first official welcome from Jets fans.
With hip-hop artist and actor Method Man announcing Rodgers' name — accompanied by a laser light show — the quarterback got huge applause.
New York acquired Rodgers, the No. 15 overall pick and a fifth-rounder in this year’s draft from Green Bay on April 26. In exchange, the Packers got the 13th overall selection, a second-rounder, a sixth-rounder and a conditional 2024 second-round pick that could become a first-rounder if Rodgers plays 65% of New York’s plays this season.
Rodgers, who spent his first 18 seasons with Green Bay, raised expectations for the Jets and their fan base when he said he expects to win in New York and pointed out during his introductory news conference that the team’s only Super Bowl trophy looks "lonely."
If healthy, he gives the Jets their most accomplished quarterback since Brett Favre, who was acquired from Green Bay in 2008 — clearing the way for Rodgers to become the Packers’ signal caller.
Rodgers, who has repeatedly said he won’t be one-and-done with the Jets, agreed in July to a restructured contract that gives him $75 million in fully guaranteed money over this season and next. It amounts to a nearly $35 million pay cut from the deal he had with Green Bay in which he was set to make $110 million guaranteed.