As the Jets’ worst fears of a torn Achilles for Aaron Rodgers were confirmed on Tuesday morning, numerous questions circulated about the team’s replacement plans and about the NFL future of the four-time MVP.
The former will be sorted out in the coming days and weeks, whether that means former first-round pick Zach Wilson — as Robert Saleh insisted Tuesday — or eventually someone from the wide range of available candidates not currently on the Jets’ roster will be behind center over the final 16 weeks of the regular season beginning Sunday against the Cowboys.
As for Rodgers returning to the field at MetLife Stadium next season, my first thought flashed back to what Yankees legend Mariano Rivera said soon after he suffered a torn ACL while shagging fly balls during batting practice in Kansas City in early May 2012.
“If it’s my call, I don’t want to leave the game like that, the way it happened,” the 42-year-old No. 42 said one week after the injury.
