Aaron Rodgers’ injury eerily similar to Vinny Testaverde’s
NEW YORK (BVM) — The Jets entered the 1999 season as legitimate Super Bowl contenders before Vinny Testaverde tore his Achilles in New York’s season opener.
Sound familiar?
An MRI confirmed Aaron Rodgers’ Achilles tear on Monday morning resulting in months of hype built going by the wayside.
Rodgers ran out in his player introduction prior to the game holding the American flag which created a pandemonium at Metlife Stadium. The captain then went to midfield for the coin side joined by the Jets’ honorary captain for the game, Testaverde.
The two-time Pro Bowler had flashbacks to that dreadful night in 1999.
“It brought back some bad memories,” Testaverde told Steve Serby of the New York Post.
The Jets made it all the way to the conference championship game in 1998 before losing to the Denver Broncos by a score of 23-10, setting up the hope for a big season in 1999. In the second quarter of New York’s first game, Testaverde’s injury deflated any optimism on its season.
Ray Lucas filled in for the Jets and when he sprained his ankle, they turned to Rick Mirer. The team ultimately finished 8-8, missing the playoffs.
Testaverde was already an older QB, similar to Rodgers, as he was 36 years old at the time of his injury. He would come back the following year and play in the NFL until he was 44 years old, but he never looked the same after that.
Rodgers will turn 40 in December and recently told Serby that he could see himself playing until the age of 45, but it feels like everything needs to be reevaluated now.
It may be a longshot for Rodgers to play another snap in the NFL after suffering that severe of an injury at his age, and even if he does, it is unlikely he looks like the caliber of quarterback that he once was.
