KFAN –  Aaron Rodgers will miss the rest of the 2023 National Football League (NFL) season with a torn left Achilles tendon suffered moments into his much-anticipated New York Jets debut, according to a report on the league’s website on Tuesday.

The Jets acquired Rodgers in a blockbuster trade with the Green Bay Packers in April and the four-time NFL Most Valuable Player’s bid to turn the long-suffering team into a contender had been the top storyline heading into the 2023 season.

But on the Jets’ fourth play from scrimmage in their season opener on Monday versus the visiting Buffalo Bills, Rodgers fell awkwardly and had to be helped off the field by two members of the medical staff.

The 39-year-old quarterback was wearing a walking boot as he headed to the Jets locker room after getting X-Rays, which were negative, and was ultimately ruled out for the rest of the game.

After the game the Jets said Rodgers would have an MRI on Tuesday to determine the severity of his injury.

The Jets did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for an update on Rodgers but the team wished him well in his recovery on social media platform X, formerly called Twitter.

“Not the way any of us wanted it to go, but we know the commitment you’ve made to this team will continue to impact us moving forward,” the Jets said.

The Jets last made the NFL playoffs in 2010 and since then have managed just one season above .500 while finishing in last place in the four-team AFC East division seven times.

But the trajectory of the franchise changed immediately with the acquisition of Rodgers, whose arrival saw the Jets’ Super Bowl odds surge after the trade.

Backup quarterback Zach Wilson, who the Jets selected with the second pick of the 2021 NFL Draft, came in for Rodgers and completed 14 of 21 passes for 140 yards and a touchdown en route to a surprising 22-16 overtime victory.

Earlier……

ESPN-The same Jets  fans who welcomed  Aaron Rodgers to New York with a roar as he ran onto the field Monday evening were silenced after a grand total of four snaps. While we’re waiting for official confirmation of the quarterback’s condition, the Jets fear Rodgers tore his left Achilles tendon in Monday night’s victory over the Buffalo Bills, an injury that would end his season. New York coach Robert Saleh’s thousand-yard stare at the prospect of Zach Wilson taking over again at quarterback said it all: Six months of joy and excitement dissipated in a matter of moments.

As Saleh suggested Monday night, while there’s still the formality of an MRI on Tuesday, players who are diagnosed with a torn Achilles on the field almost invariably have the injury confirmed the following day. Rodgers himself seemed to realize he had suffered the tear on the field, as he glumly shook his head toward the sideline and sat down before being helped to the locker room.

With the news of his injury, there are naturally a handful of questions that need to be addressed. None will be a particularly easy read for Jets fans, but the fallout from this impacts the entire NFL. Let’s rip off the Band-Aid and start with the most painful one.