Dec 10, 2023; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) on the field after the game against the Houston Texans at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
Aaron Rodgers is days away from his second season debut for the New York Jets. After his brutal injury last season, the Jets quarterback wasn’t sure it was going to happen.
Jets fans vividly remember the moment Rodgers went down with a season-ending Achilles injury four snaps into the 2023 campaign.
Rodgers recently sat down with former QB Alex Smith on ESPN’s “Sunday NFL Countdown.” Smith asked Rodgers what he remembered from the day the latter got injured.
The 4-time MVP admitted that he truly thought his career was over.
“I knew when I was on the ground that something was wrong,” Rodgers told Smith. “And sometimes you get drilled and you know something is off, and you just kind of hope you get up. … But when I stood up, I knew it and then I just went down.
“Everything flashing before your eyes: the 18 years at Green Bay, the trade, the spring, the excitement, the summer, the city, Hard Knocks, run on the field with the flag for the first time, 9/11. Yeah, just thinking that’s going to be the last time. … In the training room I really thought, ‘Damn, that’s how I’m going to go out.’”
Aaron Rodgers gets emotional talking to Alex Smith about his ruptured Achilles in 2023:
“I knew when I was on the ground that something was wrong. Sometimes you get drilled, something’s off, you just kind of hope you get up, & it shakes itself out.”pic.twitter.com/18DvULq2NW
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) September 8, 2024
Despite suffering a major injury at age 39, Rodgers is slated to take the field once more Monday when the Jets take on the San Francisco 49ers.
The path for Rodgers to get to this point has been far from easy.
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