Aaron Rodgers promises to return

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, in his first public comments since suffering a season-ending Achilles injury, said he’s on the mat, but apparently not out yet.

“I am completely heartbroken and going through all the emotions, but deeply touched and so humbled by the support and love,” Rodgers wrote Wednesday in a post on his Instagram page. “Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers as I begin the healing process today.

“The night is darkest before the dawn. And I will rise again.”

Rodgers’ comments came shortly after coach Robert Saleh and Jets owner Woody Johnson said they expected the four-time league MVP to return in 2024.

“I would be surprised if he said goodbye like that,” Saleh told reporters.

The 39-year-old quarterback, the oldest player in the NFL, faces several months of grueling rehabilitation after rupturing his Achilles tendon on his fourth play of the season Monday night in a win over the Buffalo Bills.

Saleh said he hasn’t talked about the future with him, adding that Rodgers is “working through a lot of things in his head that he needs to deal with, and that will be the last thing I talk to him about.”

Before the injury, Rodgers had mentioned numerous times that his goal was to play several years for the Jets. He is under contract through 2025 and is owed $38 million in guarantees for 2024.

About three hours before Rodgers’ post, Johnson also posted on social media: “The story is not over. Come back strong @AaronRodgers12.” In Green Bay, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur and quarterback Jordan Love revealed that they had sent messages to Rodgers shortly after the injury.

“I bet he wouldn’t have any problem coming back from that,” LaFleur admitted. “I really believe that. I know the type of worker he is, and then it will just be a question of whether or not he wants to continue playing.”

Love said he was excited to see Rodgers play and that “it sucks that that happened to him on the first series. I feel for him, I know he’s going to come back, and he’ll do his thing in recovery and come back stronger.” “. “.

Meanwhile, the Jets prepare to face the Dallas Cowboys (1-0) with Zach Wilson starting and Tim Boyle as the backup. Saleh said the team feels no urgency to add another quarterback, although Wilson and Boyle are the only two in the complex. Boyle will be elevated from the practice squad for Sunday’s road game.

At some point, the Jets hope to have Rodgers return to the facility to help behind the scenes. Rodgers and Wilson have developed a close relationship over the past few months and coaches have said he has helped Wilson, the second overall pick in the 2021 draft, improve his game.

“I think it’s very important,” Saleh acknowledged of having Aaron Rodgers on the team. “It’s important to him. For him, I think it’s mental health and healing. I think that’s very important. But his presence, his words… I said he’s as much a football coach as he is a player. Just having his presence, his thoughts, his words and his leadership, anyone would want that.

For now, Wilson won’t have Rodgers by his side to guide him. The Jets are trying to regroup around the quarterback who was benched twice last season and demoted to third in the order at the end of the season.

Several players, when asked about his confidence in Wilson, noted that the third-year quarterback has shown growth and cited Rodgers as the reason. They noticed a difference in Wilson’s confidence.

“He has that attitude,” center Connor McGovern described. “When he arrived he had a good attitude. He got lost a little and now he’s back. He’s back and he’s better than ever.”

Wilson, 8-14 as a starter, replaced Rodgers on the first series of the game. He struggled in the first half, throwing a costly interception, but improved in the second half and threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Garrett Wilson in a 22-16 overtime victory. He finished 14 of 21 for 140 yards.

“The past is the past and from what I see, Zach is our guy,” running back Dalvin Cook said. “We have to work with him.”

The Jets are exploring quarterback options for depth purposes, but Saleh said they are in no rush because they want the right candidate for the scheme and locker room.

Meanwhile, Aaron Rodgers’ former head coach with the Packers, Mike McCarthy of the Cowboys, said he has tried to contact his former quarterback.

“I have enormous affection for him,” McCarthy admitted. “He’s tough.