Aaron Rodgers became the 53rd quarterback to start for the New York Jets with his start on Monday Night Football against the Buffalo Bills. It was an inauspicious debut to be sure.
In just the fourth snap for the Jets, the former Green Bay Packers star went down with what the Jets fear is a season-ending Achilles injury.
With so much fanfare and a "Hard Knocks" slate of episodes, the buzz around this debut was enormous. Despite the brevity of the moment, the gut-wrenching sight is surely something fans will not soon forget.
After the Jets' 22-16 overtime win over the Bills, Jets head coach said the team is steeling itself for bad news about its star quarterback.
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“MRI is gonna confirm what we think is already gonna happen, but it’s not good,” Saleh said.
In the decades of quarterback play, a few have shined in their first game for New York. Below is a breakdown of the most unforgettable New York Jets debut performances.
White, a fifth-round draft pick in 2018, signed with the Jets' practice squad in 2019. After a couple years bouncing between the active roster and practice squad, White got his chance following an injury to starter Zach Wilson. The Week 8 matchup put the 1-5 Jets against the 5-2 Cincinnati Bengals.
White made the most of his debut. The Jets trailed 31-20 with five minutes to go before White led two touchdown drives to eke out a 34-31 victory. He threw for 405 yards on 37 of 45 passing with three touchdowns and two interceptions. That's the second-most yards in a first career start in NFL history.
After a stint with the Cincinnati Bengals, Esiason was traded to the Jets for a third-round pick in the 1993 draft. He subsequently took the starting role for the Jets and led the team in Week 1 against John Elway and the Denver Broncos.
Esiason powered the offense with 371 yards on 29 of 40 passing with two touchdowns and one interception. As a team, the Jets out-gained Denver 422 yards to 353 but the Broncos took a 26-20 win.
Testaverde debuted for his hometown Jets in Week 3 of the 1998 season as the 0-2 Jets hosted the 0-2 Indianapolis Colts. Testaverde wasted no time in what became a standout year for the veteran quarterback.
The Jets posted more than 500 yards of offense with Testaverde completing 12 of 21 passes for 203 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception. Much of the offense came from running backs Curtis Martin and Jerald Sowell but Testaverde ensured their drives ended in scores in a dominant 44-6 victory.
The Jets traded a fourth-round pick in the 2009 NFL Draft to the Packers for the future Hall of Fame quarterback. He entered the season as the undisputed starting quarterback after Chad Pennington's release.
In the 2008 opener, Favre had a solid debut and completed 15 of 22 passes for 194 yards and two touchdowns. He did fumble twice (losing one) but the Jets managed a 20-14 win over the Dolphins who were led by Pennington at quarterback.
Pennington was the Jets' top selection in the 2000 NFL Draft but appeared in only a few games over his first two seasons. He took over for Testaverde mid-way through 2002 and made his first start in Week 5 against the Kansas City Chiefs.
It wasn't fireworks but Pennington completed 22 of 29 passes for 237 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. The Chiefs' go-ahead touchdown with 27 seconds left ensured a 29-25 Jets loss but it marked the start of a solid season for Pennington.
Namath, the no. 1 overall pick in the 1965 draft, sat behind Mike Taliaferro for the first game and a half of his rookie season. His first start came in Week 3 against the 2-0 Buffalo Bills, the reigning AFL champions.
Namath didn't look a rookie in his first start by completing 19 of 40 passes for 287 yards, two touchdowns, and a pair of interceptions. The Jets struggled in the running game and couldn't match the Bills' offense in a 33-21 loss to begin the Broadway Joe era.
The aforementioned Darnold made his Jets debut on the road as well in Week 1 against the Detroit Lions. Darnold, like Wilson, was the Jets' top pick in that year's draft.
Darnold was solid in going 16 for 21 for 198 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. The Jets' defense carried the team with two pick-sixes as the Jets took a 48-17 win.
The Jets traded up to select Sanchez with the fifth overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft. He beat out veteran Kellen Clemens for the starting job and was under center against the Houston Texans in the first week of the 2009 season. In doing so, Sanchez became the first rookie quarterback to start for the Jets since Dick Jamieson in 1960.
Sanchez went 18 of 31 for 272 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. The Jets finished 2009 with the best defense in football and they proved that in the opener. New York held the Texans to 183 total yards in a resounding 24-7 victory.
The rookie Wilson came into the 2021 season as the no. 2 overall pick in that year's NFL Draft. New York started the year on the road against the Carolina Panthers and Darnold.
Wilson completed 20 of 37 passes for 258 yards with two touchdowns and one interception in the opener. The Jets offense struggled overall as the Panthers notched six sacks as a team. The Jets started the season 0-1 with the 19-14 loss.
The Houston Texans traded Fitzpatrick to the Jets for a late-round conditional draft pick before the 2015 season. Presumptive starting Jets quarterback Geno Smith suffered a broken jaw when linebacker IK Enemkpali punched him during a locker-room incident. That cleared the way for Fitzpatrick to make his debut for a second AFC East team following his stint with the Bills.
Fitzpatrick led the Jets to a 31-10 win over the Cleveland Browns at home. He completed 15 of 24 passes with 179 yards and two touchdowns and one interception. He'd end up starting all 16 games for the Jets in the team's most recent 10-win season.
Contributing: Lorenzo Reyes, USA TODAY
