Jets' Aaron Rodgers Injury: Falcons' Desmond Ridder, Arthur Smith React
All eyes around the NFL turned to East Rutherford, New Jersey on Monday night, when New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers tore his Achilles on just the fourth play of his new tenure.
Rodgers, 39, was sacked by Buffalo Bills outside linebacker Leonard Floyd and didn't return to the game, bringing his first season with the Jets to an abrupt end.
A four-time MVP as a member of the Green Bay Packers, Rodgers is now staring down uncertainty with his next step, particularly whether he'll be able to return to his previous level of play.
It's a difficult situation to watch unfold - which several members of the Atlanta Falcons did, including starting quarterback Desmond Ridder, head coach Arthur Smith and assistant coach/defense Jerry Gray.
Ridder pointed out that Rodgers is one of the first guys to mention when discussing star quarterbacks, making his loss particularly important not only to the Jets' playoff hopes but to the sport as a whole.
"That's tough," Ridder said. "You talk just about the quarterbacks, but then you talk about the bigger severity of it and the game of football. ... The seven, eight-year-old kid, one of the first names that's going to come out of their mouth is Aaron Rodgers. To lose a guy like him, that's tough.
"It's tough to see him go out the way it happened."
Gray felt Rodgers' injury on a deeper level, having spent the past three years together with him in Green Bay and seeing how much time and effort he puts in off the field.
The experienced opened Gray's eyes about the type of character Rodgers brings, and while that played a part in his reaction, the Packers' ex secondary coach had more sympathy when looking it at from the lens of being a former player.
"It was kind of tough," Gray said. "The hopes of the Jets getting a future Hall of Famer. ... Then when a guy goes down like this, it’s kind of tough as an ex-player because you don’t want to see guys get injured that way. And now, I think what he provided for those guys is hope. That’s the biggest thing.”
Hope isn't entirely lost for the Jets, who came back to defeat the Bills 22-16 in overtime with former No. 2 overall pick Zach Wilson under center - but considering the steep expectations placed on Rodgers' shoulders, it's certainly a disappointing situation.
In the aftermath of Rodgers' injury, all talk was about New York's quarterback situation ... but Smith has no interest in joining the conversation.
“I’m concerned with us in Atlanta," Smith said. "You pay attention to what’s going on around the league, but I don’t have some hot take. Aaron’s been a great player. I’m sure he’ll be in Canton. I don’t know him personally. He’s been a great player in this league. You don’t like to see a player get injured.”
Smith's primary focus is on Rodgers' former team, the Packers, and preparing for a new quarterback in Jordan Love, who Smith feels is a smart player coming off a "great" showing in Week 1.
And so, while the Falcons - some more than others - reflect on Rodgers' injury, things remain business as usual in Flowery Branch, over 800 miles away from New Rutherford.
The Falcons (1-0) will look to stay undefeated against the Packers (1-0) this Sunday at 1 p.m. inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
