Aaron Rodgers warned Jets coaching staff over OL concerns before suffering Achilles injury: Report

Aaron Rodgers made his highly-anticipated debut for the New York Jets on Monday Night Football in Week 1 of the 2023 NFL season. He was acquired during the offseason via trade with the Green Bay Packers to potentially make the Jets a Super Bowl contender this year.

Unfortunately, disaster struck almost immediately during their game against the Buffalo Bills. Rodgers injured his Achilles on just his fourth play for his new team and was quickly ruled out for the remainder of the game. The news got even worse the following morning after an MRI confirmed he suffered a season-ending Achilles tear.

Making this terrible situation even more frustrating is that Aaron Rodgers may have somewhat seen it coming. Jets reporter Zack Rosenblatt and NFL insider Dianna Russini recently reported that the quarterback expressed to his new coaching staff some concerns about specific play-calls in relation to their offensive. Apparently, the exact type of play that he wanted to avoid, he got injured on.

According to the report:

"Aaron Rodgers reportedly expressed to the Jets coaching staff that he wasn’t a fan of play-calls that involved cut blocks from the OL due to not being able to extend the play and having to get the ball out quickly."

Rodgers must not have been on the same page as offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, who called the exact type of play that his quarterback wished to avoid.

The decision cost Rodgers his entire 2023 NFL season and could potentially be career-ending, considering the severity of the injury relative to his age. He admittedly already contemplated retirement before the season, so this could potentially be his deciding factor.

---

Who will replace Aaron Rodgers for Jets after Achilles injury?

Aaron Rodgers

The New York Jets went all-in to acquire Aaron Rodgers during the 2023 NFL offseason and understandably didn't have much of backup plan for this year. His season-ending Achilles injury leaves the franchise with just Zach Wilson and Tim Boyle as the remaining quarterbacks on their roster.

Wilson replaced Rodgers for their Week 1 game against the Buffalo Bills and actually helped the Jets earn the victory. For the time being at least, he is slated to be their starting quarterback going forward, unless they bring in a new replacement. They can potentially explore the trade market, such as Jameis Winston, or look for a veteran free agent, like Carson Wentz. It may be a long shot, but asking Tom Brady to come out of retirement could be another option.