Aaron Rodgers’ season-ending Achilles tear in Week 1 gave the New York Jets a heartbreaking start to 2023, but the team’s decision to forgo insurance has only made matters worse.
When he was sacked against the Buffalo Bills, Aaron Rodgers knew right away that he had torn his Achilles.
Aaron Rodgers is hoping to get back into the game before the playoffs, which start in January, are over.
Aaron Rodgers’ season-ending torn Achilles could have cost the AFC East team more than £16.5 million had the New York Jets signed him to an injury insurance contract prior to the 2023 NFL season.
The Green Bay Packers regularly purchased disability insurance for Aaron Rodgers over the course of his illustrious career, which spanned 18 years. The four-time MVP was signed by the Jets to a fully guaranteed contract worth £62 million this offseason, but the team chose not to follow suit.
Just four snaps into the 2023 season, it turned out to be a costly choice. With so much anticipation and expectation surrounding him, veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ Jets debut was cut short when he was hurt during the first series.
The Jets reportedly took out multiple insurance policies on the 39-year-old’s contract, but ultimately chose not to purchase one. While the decision is consistent with the Jets’ general approach to contract coverage, it could cost New York more than £16.5 million in insurance money.
Premium coverage, known as a Temporary Total Disability (TTD) policy, allows teams to recoup a significant portion of their injured players’ guaranteed salaries in the event of an injury. try at the end of the season. The NBA and NHL have rules requiring teams to insure their highest-paid players, but the NFL and MLB leave this up to the discretion of each franchise.
While insurance terms vary widely depending on a player’s age, position and injury history, policies on offer to the Jets have premiums ranging from £800,000 to £3.30. million pounds. However, premium options account for around 60% of Rodgers’ £30m guarantee this season.
Richard Giller, an experienced insurance recovery attorney, believes that Rodgers’ case will pave the way for future TTD coverage across the NFL. Giller denounced the Jets’ decision, insisting it was “obvious” to cover for Rodgers.
If they really made an offer for a 39-year-old midfielder with 19 years of service, they should have accepted it at all costs,” Giller told Sportico. “I know hindsight is 20/20, but he was a 39-year-old quarterback.”
Across the NFL, teams regularly insure more than a dozen players. But the Jets are an anomaly; According to Sportico, it has been at least a decade since New York adopted a single-player TTD policy.
Jets owner Woody Johnson, who bought the team for £524 million in 2000, may want his team to operate differently. Sniffing on Rodgers’ confidence cost the franchise dearly and now they have to deal with the consequences.