Star quarterback suffers a season-ending issue

Insurance News

By Mika Pangilinan

Oct 16, 2023Share

The New York Jets reportedly chose not to purchase disability insurance for Aaron Rodgers before the start of the 2023 NFL season.

The decision came despite the Jets being offered multiple policies for the veteran quarterback, a report by Sportico noted, potentially costing the team over $20 million in insurance proceeds.

Rodgers had just signed a revised two-year $75 million deal with the team but suffered an Achilles tendon injury in the first game of the season.

Temporary total disability (TTD) policies can help teams recoup significant portions of a player’s guaranteed salary if they sustain such season-ending injuries. Sources cited by Sportico revealed that multiple policies were offered to the team, with premiums ranging from approximately $1 million to $4 million. The highest-end options would have covered around 60% of the $37 million that Rodgers was set to receive this season.

As Rodgers continues his recovery, discussions regarding the possibility of implementing a league-wide TTD coverage system within the NFL have started to gain traction. Purchasing TTD policies remain at the discretion of individual teams, with insiders estimating that around 65 players in the league currently have contracts covered by TTD policies

Insurance recovery attorney Richard Giller said the decision should have been a “no-brainer” for the Jets, given Rodgers’ age and years-long career.

“If they actually had an offer to insure a 39-year-old quarterback with 19 years of service, they should have taken it at any cost,” he told Sportico. “I know hindsight is 20/20, but he is a 39-year-old quarterback.”

This isn’t the first time that the Jets has chosen to forgo insurance coverage for its players, as Sportico revealed that the team has refrained from investing in TTD policies for at least a decade.