Sep 7, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) runs off the field during the second half against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Aaron Rodgers Compares Steelers and Packers Fans

Originally posted on Pittsburgh Steelers on SI
By Jack Markowski | Last updated Sep 11, 2025 7:00 AM ET

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers knows what it's like to play for a historic organization, as he spent the first 18 years of his career with the Green Bay Packers, and he drew some parallels between the two franchises heading into a Week 2 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks at Acrisure Stadium.

"I feel like these fans are a lot like the Green Bay fans," Rodgers said. "Green Bay is having some angst around how many people are selling their tickets, so hopefully there's not that much of that that goes on. But the thing I can say that I do know about Steelers fans is in the fourth quarter, in crunchtime, when [the Jets] had the ball at MetLife, it was loud, and that was our fans.

"You know what kind of organization it is. Organizations like this, and Green Bay, their fan bases travel really well, and that was really impressive to see."

It's not often that fans of the road team take over an opposing stadium, let alone in Week 1, but there was plenty of black and gold in the stands at MetLife Stadium.

As Rodgers noted, Steelers fans gave the team a bit of a leg-up on the Jets late in the game as the two sides went back-and-forth in a thriller that Pittsburgh ultimately won by a score of 34-32.

Both the Packers and Steelers are among the oldest franchises in the NFL and have found plenty of success throughout their respective histories, as Green Bay has won four Super Bowls while Pittsburgh has taken home six Lombardi Trophies.

In fact, Rodgers' only championship ring of his career was earned in Super Bowl XLV over the Steelers in February 2011 while he was with the Packers.

Playing for another team with that sort of winning culture embedded into their fabric appealed to Rodgers when he was a free agent, as did playing for a head coach of Mike Tomlin's caliber, ultimately leading the four-time MVP to make the decision to spend the 2025 campaign in Pittsburgh after being cut by the Jets.

"I think it starts with Mike Tomlin," Rodgers said during his introductory press conference in June. "I've been a fan of his for a long time. There are few iconic franchises, I played for one of them for 18 years, this is another one of those. There's something special about this area, so many great quarterbacks are from Pittsburgh."

Rodgers performed well against New York, throwing for 244 yards and four touchdowns en route to a victory. The Steelers certainly hope he can keep playing at a high level as the year goes along, and the 41-year-old will get to face the Packers for the first time in his career on Sunday Night Football at Acrisure Stadium in Week 8.

This article first appeared on Pittsburgh Steelers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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