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.
We haven’t heard from the 39-year-old Rodgers after his left Achilles was torn on his fourth play with the Jets, hobbling to the sidelines before a cart took him to the locker room. But he fully appears to be wired the same as Rivera, who made it back from right knee reconstruction to pitch one final season for the Yankees in 2013.
The incomparable Mariano recorded 44 saves with a 2.11 ERA in 64 relief appearances and made his 13th All-Star appearance during his farewell season before becoming the only player in baseball history to be voted unanimously into the Hall of Fame five years later.
Rodgers similarly isn’t going to want to go out without completing a single pass for the Jets after throwing for nearly 60,000 yards in his 18 seasons with the Packers.
The 10-time Pro Bowler told The Post’s Steve Serby in this past Sunday’s Q&A that he might want to play until he’s 45, as Tom Brady did before retiring for a second time following last season with the Buccaneers.
“I think if you would’ve asked me five, six years ago, I would have said probably not,” Rodgers said. “But with the change that’s happened and some of the changes off the field I’ve made, I definitely see that now as a possibility where before I just didn’t think I’d want to, honestly.
“I’d love to play a few years here, not sure if that few is two or three or … I mean, five would kind of get me to 45. But I definitely don’t want to be a one-and-done here.”
Remember, Rodgers also took what amounted to a $35 million pay cut when he reworked his contract in August into a three-year, $112.5 million deal that includes $75 million in fully guaranteed money for 2023 and 2024.
Granted, this a serious injury offering no guarantees of a complete recovery, though former Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas — who briefly played for the Jets in 2010 — Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs and, most recently, Rams running back Cam Akers are among those NFL players to make it back from Achilles tears, as did Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson and others in the NBA.
Closer to home, former Jets quarterback Vinny Testaverde, then 35, also suffered that injury in the opening game of the 1999 season, and he returned to start all 16 games the following year and played in the league through 2007. The Long Island native was in the building Monday night and admitted to Serby, “It brought back some bad memories.”
The Jets had Super Bowl aspirations that year under coach Bill Parcells, too, but they finished 8-8 and out of the playoffs with Ray Lucas starting nine games (6-3) at quarterback and Rick Mirer starting six (2-4).
Saleh declared in Tuesday’s press conference that “this is Zach’s team,” after the Jets pulled out a 22-16 OT victory over the Bills after Wilson replaced the departed Rodgers in the first quarter.
The Jets’ vaunted defense backed up its recent boasting by forcing four turnovers in the game, with undrafted rookie Xavier Gipson winning it with a 65-yard punt return for a touchdown in overtime.
“I don’t know why people are trying to put an obituary to our team name,” Saleh added. “Aaron is an unbelievable piece to this whole thing, and we love him, but there are 52 other guys in the locker room plus the 16 practice squad guys who believe we can do a hell of a lot of good things here.
“We’ve got a championship-caliber defense, we’ve got great skill guys on the offensive side of the ball, our O-line is going to continue to gel and get better. But we’re excited about our group … and there’s still a lot of faith in what we can still accomplish this year. While the outside world can write whatever story they want to write, there’s still the true story being written in this building.”
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Something Brewin’ in Flushing
The stars finally have aligned for Steve Cohen to pin down his top target all along to run the Mets’ baseball operations.
Rebuffed by the Brewers multiple times in recent years, the Mets have agreed to a five-year contract with NY-bred, Harvard-educated David Stearns to become their team president at the conclusion of this season.
The 38-year-old Stearns served as an advisor for the NL Central-leading Brewers this season after running their front office for seven years, including four straight playoff appearances from 2018-21.
Moving from one of the game’s smallest markets to the organization with the richest owner in baseball is reminiscent of Andrew Friedman’s move from the Rays to the Dodgers in 2014.
Of course, Cohen’s massive financial flex last winter couldn’t spare the Mets or their fans from enduring this year’s debacle and trade-deadline roster teardown with a 66-78 record after Tuesday’s 7-4 win over the Diamondbacks punctuated by Ronny Mauricio’s first big league homer.
Stearns’ first key decision likely will be whether to retain manager Buck Showalter, who has one year remaining on his contract.
Fenway fizzle
This season will mark the first time since 1992 that neither the Yankees nor the Red Sox will finish in the top two in the AL East, a 30-year run that entrenched the rivalry among the greatest in professional sports.
Thus, this week’s four-game set at Fenway Park — the final games between the teams this year — doesn’t have the typical juice a September series between these teams ordinarily would hold.
The injury to top Yankees prospect Jasson Dominguez (torn UCL) also eliminated his first career games in Boston, adding another buzzkill to a disappointing baseball summer all around in New York.
The Yankees pulled above .500 (73-72) and into a tie with the Red Sox for fourth place by sweeping Tuesday’s doubleheader, 3-2 and 4-1, getting an encouraging outing from Carlos Rodon and bullpen contributions from a pair of relievers (Zach McAllister and Matt Bowman) who hadn’t appeared in the majors since 2018 and 2019, respectively, in the nightcap.
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