Massive Irony Alert: Aaron Rodgers will have to return to Green Bay for Achilles surgery
By Scott Rogust
The New York Jets' 2023 season took a massive hit four plays into their first offensive drive. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers, a four-time NFL MVP and the key cog to help the Jets make it back to the playoffs for the first time in 13 years suffered an Achilles injury. Head coach Robert Saleh said after the game that "it's not good," in terms of the severity. An MRI on Tuesday confirmed Rodgers suffered a complete tear of his left Achilles tendon, and he is now out for the entirety of the season.
With Rodgers done for the year, surgery is the next step. And to get it, he might have to return to Green Bay.
During an appearance on FOX Sports' "Undisputed," former Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman said that the doctor that Rodgers is going to have to go to is Dr. Robert Anderson, who is based out of Green Bay and is the current Packers' doctor.
Richard Sherman says that Aaron Rodgers will have to go back to Green Bay to get surgery to repair torn Achilles
Anderson is the go-to doctor for NFL players who need surgery on their foot or ankle. Anderson does specialize in repairing Achilles tendons, which he has performed on numerous players. One of them was Sherman, as he mentioned in the clip above after he suffered a ruptured Achilles in 2017. Even Packers head coach Matt LaFleur saw Anderson to repair a ruptured Achilles.
While Sherman says that Rodgers will have to go to Green Bay to see Anderson, that has not been announced just yet. While meeting with reporters on Wednesday, Jets head coach Robert Saleh said that Rodgers is "getting some consultations" before deciding on the best decision regarding surgery. Additionally, Saleh would not say if Rodgers was still with the team in New Jersey or not. Saleh's comments come courtesy of The Athletic's Zack Rosenblatt.
With Rodgers done for the season, Jets fans and media figures speculated what exactly the team would do to address his absence. Thus far, Saleh expressed his confidence in Zach Wilson, their 2021 second-overall pick, to be the guy to fill in for Rodgers. The Jets are considering ringing in a quarterback, but one to fill out the depth chart, not one to compete with Wilson.
Speaking of, Saleh said that the Jets may not bring in a quarterback ahead of their game on Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys. Instead, Saleh said that he's comfortable with Wilson and Tim Boyle being available for the game.
Rodgers 2023 debut season lasted just four plays. He attempted one pass, which was thrown out of bounds when escaping pressure from the Buffalo Bills' defense. Then, a ruptured Achilles on his fourth snap of the game ended his year. Now, we'll see what Rodgers decides to do regarding surgery.