Tens of millions of people tuned in tonight to see how Aaron Rodgers would fare in a slightly different shade of green, but his debut with the New York Jets lasted a mere four plays before he was carted off with an injury.
Rodgers was spun down awkwardly on a sack and took a little bit of time standing up, but he only lasted moments on his feet before he sat back down in obvious pain. He was carted to the locker room a short while later before being ruled out for the rest of the game. You can see a video of the injury below.
Aaron Rodgers was injured and helped off the field on the first Jets drive vs. the Bills. pic.twitter.com/vtKHRW566V
— ESPN (@espn) September 12, 2023
Dr. Silverman Breaks Down What He Saw
This is an eversion mechanism of injury, with the ankle tilting inside followed by external rotation. Based on the video, Rodgers likely suffered one of three types of injuries:
1. Deltoid Ligament and Syndesmotic Ligament Injuries – Damage to these ligaments seems possible, and although we know that X-rays are negative, it’s not uncommon for this type of injury to also involve a fracture around those ligaments. This would likely be a multiple week injury depending on the severity of the ligament damage, which we’ll know more about tonight or tomorrow.
2. Lateral Talar Process Injury – The talus is the bone in the ankle nestled between the lower leg bones and the heel bone, and it’s very uncommon for the average individual to suffer a fracture to this area. That said, Rodgers isn’t your average Joe. This type of fracture is common among snowboarders who end up overloading the bone while the ankle is dorsiflexed and eversion. We know that the X-rays came back negative, but it’s possible that these initial images can’t clearly see the talar fracture. Whether conservative or operative management is pursued, it’s at least a six week injury, and likely longer for a starting quarterback.
3. Achilles Rupture – There’s also a possibility of a worst case scenario, which is an Achilles rupture. With the dorsiflexion motion under eccentric load, an Achilles rupture is a distinct possibility. Not only would this end his season, but there’s a real chance that at his age, it is a career-ending injury for Rodgers. After the game, Jets coach Robert Saleh said that “it’s not good,” in reference to the injury, and that the team fears Rodgers has suffered an Achilles injury.
My professional opinion based on the video alone is that it is one of the three injuries listed above, and it’s looking more and more like an Achilles injury, which would be confirmed with an MRI on Tuesday.
We’ll keep tabs on the injury news coming out late tonight and tomorrow, but it seems likely that Rodgers will miss at least multiple weeks with this injury, and it’s possible that his season and career is over. We wish him the best in his recovery.
