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Rich Cimini, ESPN Staff Writer
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Shortly after 8 p.m. ET, New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers emerged from the tunnel waving an American flag — the last player introduced before a raucous crowd of 83,000 at MetLife Stadium. The building looked like a giant nightclub, with a machine pumping smoke into the air and fans waving green LED lights.
This was supposed to be the start of a special season, with Rodgers — a future Hall of Famer — lifting the star-crossed franchise to new heights.
Twenty-five minutes later, he was helped off the field by two members of the Jets’ medical team. Just like that, the Super Bowl dream had been severely compromised. It happened only 4:04 into the game — 244 seconds. It happened on the Jets’ fourth snap.
On the fateful play, Rodgers was twisted into the ground on a sack by Buffalo Bills defensive end Leonard Floyd, suffering an Achilles injury that ended his season.
After five months of buildup and breathless hype, it has ended before he could complete a pass.
For the Jets, who have a tortured history of quarterback calamities, this was eerily reminiscent of the 1999 opener. With Super Bowl aspirations that year, quarterback Vinny Testaverde suffered a season-ending Achilles rupture in the second quarter. They finished 8-8.
Testaverde was in attendance Monday night as an honorary captain. He watched as a guest in owner Woody Johnson’s private box.
“Seeing Aaron get hurt definitely brought back some bad memories,” Testaverde said in a text to ESPN during the game. “Hopefully, it’s not a serious injury.”
Boomer Esiason, another former Jets quarterback who has witnessed his share of cruel twists with the team, texted from his home, “Totally deflated and sick to my stomach.”
Another ex-Jets quarterback, Neil O’Donnell, who suffered a freakish, season-ending calf injury in 1996, was in the stadium, watching from Section 132.
The Jets beat the Bills in overtime 22-16, but it was overshadowed by what likely will be a season-ending injury to Rodgers. His Jets teammates and coaches and Bills players provide a closer look at one of the worst moments in Jets history:
Laken Tomlinson, left guard: “I mean, when he went down, we tried to pull him up and he went back down and we saw trainers coming out. At that point, it was a shock moment.”
(Tomlinson, speaking in front of his locker, started to cry. He wiped his eyes, tried to compose himself and put on his sunglasses.)
“Sorry. Sorry. This is the worst part of the game.”
Alijah Vera-Tucker, right guard: “As we were trying to lift him up or talk to him about getting up, he was just like, ‘No. I’m not getting up.’ Any time a player says that, you know it’s probably not good.”
D.J. Reed, cornerback: “At first, I didn’t know what it was. When I didn’t see him in the next series, it was like everybody on the side was wondering, ‘Is he OK? What happened?’ You have to move on because you have a game to play, but at the same time, we were a little rattled on the sideline — the defense was. We want our quarterback to be healthy.”
Robert Saleh, coach: “When they told me what they think it was, I just recall the look on Aaron’s face before he went and took his knee. I pretty much knew in the first half [that it was an Achilles injury].”
The play was out of sync. It was designed to be a quick pass, which explains why left tackle Duane Brown tried to execute a cut block on Floyd. For some reason, Rodgers held the ball, extending the play.
Brown: “I went to cut the defensive end. He played it well and he got home and Aaron got hit … I have to execute the cut better.”
Vera-Tucker: “It’s a three-step drop, get the ball out. I’m not sure what happened during the play; all I know is that he got tackled and didn’t get up.”
0:45
Zach Wilson: My job as a QB is to step up in Aaron Rodgers’ absence
Jets QB Zach Wilson sends his well wishes to Aaron Rodgers and says he needs to be ready in Rodgers’ absence.
Saleh: “It was kind of an off-schedule play. The play extended further than the timing of the play, which at that point the quarterback … Duane can’t look at that and say it was his fault. You fight until the end of the down, but when it extends the way that it does, it’s just a very, very unfortunate play.”
Floyd: “From my perspective, the offensive lineman had cut-block me and Aaron was, he still had the ball. I’m like, ‘Aaron, please still hold the ball.’ And I sacked him, I guess he got hurt. I didn’t realize he got hurt until later in the game when he didn’t come back in, but it felt good to make a sack for the team at that time.”
Brown: “It just sucks.”
Vera-Tucker: “[Brown] is a little emotional, as anyone would be in that situation. At the end of the day, it’s not his fault. He’s just following the playcall.”
Breece Hall, running back: “I was just kind of in shock.”
C.J. Mosley, linebacker: “Man, it’s really unfortunate, especially the way it happened. The sack didn’t look too crazy.”
Dion Dawkins, Bills tackle: “I was kind of upset. I don’t want to see nobody get hurt, and I want to see the best players on the field. Aaron Rodgers is a Hall of Fame player. I want to see him on the field. I don’t want nobody to be hurt. It was scary, I saw him get up and he started limping and then he went down, and I was like ‘Aww s—.'”
After being helped off the field, Rodgers was carted down the sideline toward the midfield tunnel to the locker room. He got out and limped through the tunnel in what likely was his 2023 farewell. Several players described an emotional scene in the locker room, with the entire team gathering around Rodgers and expressing well wishes.
Zach Wilson, quarterback: “The whole team went up to him, so really I just kind of went in there and said, ‘I love you, man.’ I didn’t ask him any questions, just wanted to show him that I love him.”
Garrett Wilson, wide receiver: “I just wanted him to know I love him. We’re going to do what we can. He’s special. The impact he’s had on this team in a short time is special … He didn’t say anything back. He didn’t need to.”
Brown (voice cracking): “I talked to him at halftime … I told him I love him.”
Randall Cobb, wide receiver, and Rodgers’ closest friend on the team: “I really just want to get out of here, so I can call him and talk to him and check on him.”
Hall: “I’m happy we got the win, but I’d rather have that guy healthy.”
Garrett Wilson: “Said my prayer for him and said, ‘I’ve got to roll now.’ That’s the reality of the game. I’d be lying if I didn’t say it was in the back of my head the rest of the game.”
Reed: “It’s football, man. Football is crazy. Some things you just can’t fathom.”
— ESPN reporters Tim Keown and Alaina Getzenberg contributed to this report.
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