EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Aaron Rodgers strolled into MetLife Stadium, shook hands with a few familiar faces and headed to the opponents’ locker room.
The 41-year-old quarterback was back at the place he called home the past two seasons with the New York Jets — but this time as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Rodgers is on Sunday to begin his 21st NFL season after a failed stint with the Jets that included Super Bowl dreams and mostly disappointing results.
Rodgers, when the new regime of coach Aaron Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey decided to go in a different direction at quarterback, downplayed any revenge angles leading up to the game — as did the Jets.
During warmups two hours before kickoff, Rodgers — wearing a black cap and a black and gold Steelers hoodie — was and got big hugs from running back Breece Hall, backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor, defensive tackle Quinnen Williams and edge rusher Jermaine Johnson, among others.
Rodgers is , and for good reason. After all, his trade to the Jets during the offseason in 2023 made them instant championship contenders and a constant topic of conversation.
But four snaps into his debut in New York — moments after he carried the American field onto the field in pregame introductions — Rodgers went down with a torn left Achilles tendon and the Jets’ Super Bowl dreams immediately fizzled.
Rodgers made it back last season and threw 28 touchdown passes with 3,897 yards passing — both rank third for a single season in franchise history. But he lacked some mobility early in his return and then dealt with a few additional leg injuries, including a significant hamstring ailment.
The Jets’ offense with Rodgers struggled to produce, the defense was a shell of its formerly dominant self and it cost both general manager Joe Douglas and coach Robert Saleh their jobs in the middle of a 5-12 season.
In what turned out to be his final appearance with New York, Rodgers threw a season-high four touchdown passes in a win over Miami on Jan. 5 at MetLife Stadium. He became the fifth player in NFL history to reach 500 regular-season touchdown passes in that game.
He was told in February he would be released by the Jets — and Rodgers later balked at how the team handled his departure. Four months later, he decided to continue his playing career and signed a one-year, $13.65 million contract with the Steelers.
And he’ll be facing Justin Fields, who was Pittsburgh’s starter early last season and led the Steelers to a 4-2 start before he sat in place of a healthy Russell Wilson. Fields signed a two-year, $40 million deal with the Jets in March.
The game marks the first time in NFL history that quarterbacks in Week 1 on both sides are facing the teams for which they started the season opener the previous year.
Rodgers and Fields are also the seventh and eighth quarterbacks overall to do so, according to Sportradar.
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