Aaron Rodgers tears Achilles, ending season; can Zach Wilson step up in his place?

It has been confirmed that star quarterback Aaron Rodgers tore his Achilles tendon, ending his first season with the New York Jets after just four offensive snaps against the Buffalo Bills.

Rodgers, making his much-hyped New York debut on “Monday Night Football,” suffered the injury when Bills defensive end Leonard Floyd sacked him on the team’s opening drive. He attempted just one pass, which was incomplete, before the injury.

Zach Wilson, the Jets’ No. 2 pick in 2021, replaced Rodgers and threw a touchdown and an interception in the team’s incredible 22-16 overtime win. Head coach Robert Saleh confirmed that Wilson would be the starter for the rest of the season if Rodgers was out.

It’s almost as if the last five months of offseason hype and excitement for Jets fans with Rodgers as their quarterback. But less than five minutes into his debut, the team is now back where they started.

Days ago, the Jets were a side dreaming of going far in the playoffs, even targeting a Super Bowl. Their defense is elite, as we saw against the Bills and they’ve made some huge additions during the summer. But without Rodgers, what can they expect?

Where do the Jets go from here?

Zach Wilson is back in the driving seat, much sooner than expected. One of the positives we’ve seen and heard over the summer about Rodgers’ arrival in New York is his supporting role with Wilson’s development, but even neither would have expected the former BYU play-caller to be playing this season.

Jets fans will struggle to see that Wilson is the answer. He was below par against Buffalo, and hasn’t shown the consistency to compete at this level. But he has the talent, and that’s what has kept his career in New York going through the difficult times of the last couple of years. Wilson has got to step up, especially given the ability of the rest of the roster. It’s his final, final chance.

Week Two’s opposition presents a brutal challenge in the Dallas Cowboys, who annihilated the Jets’ New York neighbours the Giants on Sunday. If Wilson can overcome that challenge, then anything’s possible.

It’ll be interesting to see if Joe Douglas does look to add a veteran in free agency to help with the quarterback room, with players like Matt Ryan, Colt McCoy, or even Carson Wentz available. Even a return for Joe Flacco could be on the cards.

But for now, Wilson is the QB1 in New York, and he’s playing for the sake of his career.