Robert Saleh commits to Zach Wilson after Aaron Rodgers injury, says team can still win

Robert Saleh confirmed to the media on Tuesday that Aaron Rodgers has a torn Achilles, will need surgery and be out for the year.

The New York Jets head coach said he spoke with the four-time MVP in the aftermath of his injury, which was sustained in the team's first offensive drive Monday in a primetime game. It was his debut with the Jets after being traded from the Green Bay Packers.

"As you can imagine, with everything that he's invested and it lasting four plays, he's obviously a little disappointed," Saleh said.

Saleh questioned why there is so much doubt around the future of the team a day after they defeated the Buffalo Bills, 22-16, in overtime with Zach Wilson filling in for Rodgers.

"I don't know why people are trying to put an obituary onto our team name," he said. "Aaron is an unbelievable piece to this whole thing and we love him, but I think there's 52 other guys in the locker room plus the 16 practice squad guys that believe that 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 gonna continue to gel and get better, but we're excited about our group.

"We've worked hard over the last couple of years, players, coaches, scouts, GM building a pretty cool organization. So there's still a lot of faith in the locker room on the things that we can still accomplish this year. While the outside world can go ahead and write whatever story they wanna write, there's still the true story being written in this building."

Robert Saleh commits to Zach Wilson after Aaron Rodgers injury

Saleh stated his commitment to the 24-year-old Wilson, who went 5-1 last season in taking over for veteran Joe Flacco. He said that Tim Boyle will be elevated from the practice squad to serve as Wilson's backup and that the team will analyze the options of acquiring either a veteran or a young player to add to its quarterback depth.

"We are gonna look through some things, but I do want to make it very clear, Zach is our quarterback," he said "We've got a lot of faith in Zach. We're really excited about his opportunity. But we're rolling with Zach and excited for him and like I said, this opportunity that he's gonna get."

At the conclusion of the 2022 season, Saleh addressed the growth that Wilson needed to experience after being benched in favor of Mike White for his poor performance against the New England Patriots. The coach said he and the team were committed to the quarterback's development "through hell or high water."

After losing Rodgers, Saleh said that Wilson has done what was expected of him and is ready to step into the leadership role, even if the timeline has been sped up.

"From a mental standpoint, he's so much different than this time a year ago," Saleh said. "He's in a great frame of mind, he's loving the game of football, he's loving the process that he's going through. He's got a lot of confidence. All the little things that we saw in college that he was struggling with a year ago are not the same struggles that he had. He's fixed a lot of things, a lot of things. And so we're very excited about him."

Robert Saleh comments on MetLife Stadium turf after Aaron Rodgers injury

Saleh also said that he did not believe the turf at MetLife Stadium had an impact on Rodgers' injury. The turf has been a topic of controversy as New York Giants wide receiver Sterling Shepard tore his ACL last year and Odell Beckham Jr. has torn his ACL twice, both times on turf fields.

"If it was a non-contact injury, I think that would be something to discuss, obviously," he said. "But that was kind of a forceable, I think that was trauma induced. I do know the players prefer grass and there's a lot invested in those young men."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Robert Saleh confirms Aaron Rodgers injury, commits to Zach Wilson