Aug 16, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields (7) warms up before the preseason game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

3 Steelers Players Who Could Ruin Justin Fields' Jets Debut

Originally posted on New York Jets on SI
By Zach Pressnell | Last updated Sep 5, 2025 6:00 PM ET

The New York Jets made a bold decision to cut ties with veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers in the offseason, opting to sign Justin Fields to replace him.

Ironically enough, after stealing Fields from the Pittsburgh Steelers, Rodgers would sign with the Steelers after being cut from the Jets. Even more ironically, these two teams are set to match up against each other in Week 1 of the regular season, with Rodgers and Fields battling their former teams.

Fields' homecoming to Pittsburgh could be ruined with a crushing loss, though.

Which three players could ruin Fields' Jets debut?

QB Aaron Rodgers

Rodgers is the perfect guy to play spoiler to Fields' debut with the Jets. After all, the Jets directly chose Fields over Rodgers when given the choice between the two. There might not be many players in football more fired up than Rodgers this week.

If Rodgers outperforms Fields and dominates his way to a Steelers win, the Jets will look very bad. Fields will look bad for being beaten down by the same guy he was chosen over. Everything will look bad in New York.

Rodgers needs a big game against his former team. Fields needs the same thing. Let's see who comes out on top.

CB Jalen Ramsey

The Steelers traded Minkah Fitzpatrick to the Miami Dolphins to land Jalen Ramsey. Ramsey takes over as the top cornerback in Pittsburgh alongside Joey Porter Jr. and Darius Slay.

Being the top cornerback against the Jets means matching up with Garrett Wilson. This is a crucial matchup because the Jets don't have much else at wide receiver right now. If Ramsey can shut down Wilson for the game, the Jets will struggle to move the ball.

There aren't many players who could directly ruin Fields' homecoming more than Ramsey.

EDGE TJ Watt

Speaking of a player who could ruin Fields' homecoming, there's nobody more dominant on the Steelers than edge rusher TJ Watt.

Fields struggles under pressure, and Watt provides a lot of pressure off the edge. He's set to be matched up with rookie Armand Membou this week, and if Membou consistently loses that matchup, the Jets are in for a long day.

Watt could explode for multiple sacks and multiple tackles for loss. He's one of the most dominant players in football. The Jets need to find a way to limit him, or the offense will never get off the ground.

This article first appeared on New York Jets on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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