The New York Jets off-season was full of optimism after it added four-time NFL MVP and star quarterback Aaron Rodgers to its roster via a trade with the Green Bay Packers.
For a team that narrowly missed the 2022 NFL Playoffs and has one of the longest playoff droughts among North American sports teams, there was finally hope — for less than four minutes.
What Happened: During the Monday Night Football matchup — that aired on ESPN and ABC and streamed on ESPN+, all units of Walt Disney Co DIS — Rodgers injured his Achilles tendon on the first offensive drive at the beginning of the team’s week one game against the Buffalo Bills.
Related Link: Exclusive: Gary Vee Predicts NY Jets Playoff Return In 2023: 'I Know My Team'
After being hit, Rodgers limped, sat on the ground, grabbed his leg, and was carted off the field.
Even though the Jets picked up a 22-16 victory in overtime, a Tuesday MRI on Rodgers leg gave Jets fans the news they were likely expecting, but didn’t want to hear: Rodgers suffered a tear of his left Achilles tendon and will miss the entire 2023 NFL season.
What’s Next for Jets: The Jets will now be faced with the decision of sticking with former starter Zach Wilson, who came in after Rodgers' injury and threw for 140 yards with one passing touchdown and one interception.
In the 2022 NFL season, Wilson played in nine games and had 1,688 passing yards with a 54.5% completion rate. Wilson threw for six passing touchdowns and had seven interceptions.
The team also has Tim Boyle on their practice squad, who won’t likely factor into the starting equation.
The Jets could also test the market to find a replacement quarterback. Mike White and Joe Flacco also played quarterback for the Jets last season, and both had better quarterback ratings for the team than Wilson.
Some NFL experts see the Jets looking to the free agency market to grab a seasoned quarterback. Odds from Betonline.ag see Nick Foles as the betting favorite at 3-to-1.
The betting platform lists Tom Brady, who has retired twice, at odds of 20-to-1 to be the Jets' next quarterback. Many see this being a long shot after he made his intentions clear he was retired for good and the Jets are a key rival of the New England Patriots, a team he led to six Super Bowl victories.
Betting Odds Shift: Entering the 2023 NFL season, the Bills and the Jets were two of the favorites to win Super Bowl LVIII with odds of +900 and +1,600.
The loss by the Bills and the injury to Rodgers have impacted the betting odds at sportsbooks, including DraftKings Inc DKNG.
As of Tuesday morning, the new odds for winning Super Bowl LVIII are +1100 for the Bills and +6000 for the Jets. This means a $100 bet would pay out a profit of $1,100 if the Bills win the Super Bowl and would pay out a profit of $6,000 if the Jets win the Super Bowl.
The Jets entered the 2023 NFL season as a favorite to make the NFL Playoffs and end their playoff drought, with odds of -130. On Tuesday, the odds to make the playoffs now sit at +215.
Sportsbooks see the Bills winning a competitive AFC East and the Jets have now been passed by the Miami Dolphins in the betting market. In the preseason, the Bills were favored at +120 with the Jets in second at +270. The new odds see the Dolphins favored at +135 and the Bills at +145. The Jets rank a distant third at +600.
Now with Rodgers missing the whole season, he won’t be able to win the MVP trophy. Rodgers entered the season as one of the favorites at odds of +1600 and is now listed at +7500.
The Jets head to Texas to take on the Dallas Cowboys in the second week of the season and find themselves being 7.5 point underdogs.
Image: Shutterstock
Editor's Note: The story was updated to reflect Rodgers' injury keeping him out of the rest of the season. Check out new odds in an article by Chris Katje.
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