Steelers Have Perfect Aaron Rodgers Revenge Tour

Rodgers will be thrown into the deep end immediately, as Pittsburgh will travel to MetLife Stadium and take on his former team, the New York Jets, in Week 1.

The 41-year-old's two-year stint with Gang Green went awry at nearly every turn, as he tore his Achilles in their Week 1 matchup with the Buffalo Bills in 2023 before returning last season and watching the organization's foundation crumble around him en route to a 5-12 record.

As a result, the Jets brought in a new regime led by head coach Aaron Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey this offseason. They promptly released Rodgers, who voiced his displeasure about how Glenn in particular conveyed that message to him during an appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show" in April.

“I think we are going to have this long conversation,” he said. “I’ve flown across the country, and 20 seconds in, he goes and he leans to the edge of his seat and says, ‘So, you want to play football?’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, I’m interested.’ And he was like, ‘We’re going in a different direction at quarterback.’

“I was kind of shocked. Not shocked because I didn’t think it was a possibility, but shocked because I just flew across the country and you could’ve told me this over the phone.”

There's certainly no love lost between the Jets and Rodgers, which could make for quite the season opener. Justin Fields will also be looking for retribution as he plays against the Steelers for the first time since signing with New York in March.

Pittsburgh's Week 2 home opener vs. the Seattle Seahawks will provide more of a chance for DK Metcalf to make a statement against his former squad after they traded him to the Steelers this offseason, but Rodgers is plenty familiar with them from his days with the Green Bay Packers. He's 6-4 as a starter against Seattle in the regular season, but he lost a heartbreaker at Lumen Field in the 2014 NFC Championship Game that likely still stings to this day.

There also couldn't have been a better time for the Steelers to face the NFC North, a division Rodgers terrorized for well over a decade.

The Minnesota Vikings, who were mentioned as a potential landing spot for the 41-year-old over recent months, will meet Pittsburgh at Croke Park in Dublin, Ireland for the NFL's first-ever regular season showdown in the country during Week 4.

Then, in Week 8, Rodgers will suit up against the Packers for the first time in his career on "Sunday Night Football" at Acrisure Stadium. He left Green Bay after the 2022 season with 59,055 passing yards, 475 touchdowns, 105 interceptions, four MVPs and 10 Pro Bowl nods alongside a 147-75-1 record and a Super Bowl ring, which he earned upon defeating the Steelers in the 45th rendition of the "Big Game".

Pittsburgh will later journey to Soldier Field for a Week 12 matchup against the Chicago Bears before doing battle with the Detroit Lions at Ford Field in Week 16. Rodgers has gone a combined 42-13 against those two teams up to this point.