Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers will face his former club, the New York Jets, in Week 1, getting that reunion out of the way early.
Rodgers joined Adam Schein of Mad Dog Sports Radio on Monday and was asked how he'll feel facing New York off the bat.
"Probably nowhere near where it might be made out," Rodgers said. "A lot has changed over there, coaching staff-wise, player-wise. Obviously, I have friendships over there, but it's one game out of 17, and at 5 o'clock Eastern on that Sunday, it's only going to be on to the next game. So that's just the way it is."
Rodgers isn't the only QB facing his former club in Week 1. Gang Green's new signal-caller, Justin Fields, will start for the Jets after having started six games for the Steelers in 2024. He'll likely relay similar thoughts in the coming weeks.
Rodgers spent two years in New York. After being heralded as the signal-caller who would finally stop the endless QB churning, he blew his Achilles after just four snaps in 2023. For much of 2024, Rodgers led an inefficient and unbalanced offense that never quite got off the ground, as Gang Green finished 5-12.
The Jets released Rodgers this offseason, with the QB "shocked" at how the new brass handled his departure.
Schein asked Rodgers what his message is to Jets fans, who have watched their club miss the postseason for 14 consecutive seasons.
"Well, I mean, I really embraced my time there and put as much of myself into it as I possibly could," he said. "I really wanted to win there, I really did. And I have a lot of appreciation for the special moments. There weren't a ton of them, but one of the coolest moments, unfortunately, four plays later was all taken away, but running out on that field, it was a special night. Even though it ended very shortly after, it will always be kind of a special snapshot. I wish it had gone differently up there for sure, but I put all I had into it. I tore my Achilles and battled my ass back to come back to practice to inspire the guys and hope to come back. I put a lot into it and I'm sorry it didn't work out, but I'm thankful for the couple special moments that were had."
Now, the Jets are hoping things finally work out with Fields and new coach Aaron Glenn.
