US football star Aaron Rodgers out for season after suffering torn Achilles

An MRI has confirmed that United States football player Aaron Rodgers tore his Achilles tendon during a game on Monday, all but ensuring that he will not play for the remainder of the season.

The National Football League (NFL) confirmed on Tuesday that Rodgers had suffered a “complete tear” of his Achilles.

“Not the way any of us wanted it to go, but we know the commitment you’ve made to this team will continue to impact us moving forward,” his New York Jets team said in a social media post.

A longtime quarterback for the Green Bay Packers, Rodgers was making his debut appearance with the Jets on Monday, after the team acquired him in a trade.

Not the way any of us wanted it to go, but we know the commitment you've made to this team will continue to impact us moving forward.

Get well soon, @AaronRodgers12. pic.twitter.com/cKcYzjh4BZ

— New York Jets (@nyjets) September 12, 2023

The injury represents a setback for Rodgers, a four-time league Most Valuable Player (MVP), as well as a blow to the Super Bowl aspirations of the Jets.

The team will now rely on Zach Wilson as their primary quarterback, a previous starter for the team who was expected to spend time on the sidelines, learning from the 39-year-old Rodgers this season.

The injury occurred a short while into Rodgers’s first game as a Jet, when Buffalo Bills player Leonard Floyd spun him to the ground. Rodgers stood up, looked to the Jets’ sideline, then sat back down, seemingly aware that he had sustained a serious injury.

Rodgers was then examined in a medical tent on the side of the field before limping through the tunnel to the locker room.

“Concerned with his Achilles,” Coach Robert Saleh said after the game on Monday night. “MRI is probably going to confirm what we think is going to happen, so prayers tonight. But it’s not good.”

Tuesday’s MRI confirmed that Rodgers had torn his left Achilles.