Steelers' Aaron Rodgers sends message to Jets fans ahead of Week 1 showdown

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers will experience somewhat of a homecoming when the Steelers open the upcoming season with a matchup at the New York Jets on Sept. 7. 

Rodgers lost more than he won when he was on the field as the Jets' QB1 over the past two campaigns. During a Monday appearance on SiriusXM's Mad Dog Sports Radio, Rodgers was asked if he had a message for Jets fans ahead of the Week 1 showdown at MetLife Stadium.

"I really embraced my time there and put as much myself into it as I possibly could," Rodgers responded, as shared by Kevin Patra of the NFL's website. "I really wanted to win there, I really did. And I have a lot of appreciation for the special moments. ...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 (expletive) 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."

Rodgers suffered the noteworthy Achilles injury just four offensive snaps into his Jets debut in September 2023. More recently, he reportedly "never saw eye-to-eye" with Jets star wide receiver Garrett Wilson as the club notched only five wins last season. 

Per ESPN stats, the Jets finished the 2024 campaign ranked 24th in the league with an average of 310.3 offensive yards per game and tied for 24th with an average of 19.9 points scored per contest. 

Neither first-year head coach Aaron Glenn nor general manager Darren Mougey was part of the Jets regime that acquired Rodgers from the Green Bay Packers in the spring of 2023. That may be one reason the future Hall of Famer seemingly isn't viewing the regular-season opener as some type of "revenge game" after the Jets showed him the door earlier this year. 

"A lot has changed over there, coaching staff-wise, player-wise," Rodgers added about the Jets on Monday. "Obviously, I have friendships over there, but it's one game out of 17, and at five 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."

As of Tuesday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Steelers as 2.5-point favorites against the Jets. If nothing else, it could be interesting to see and hear how Jets fans greet Rodgers the first time he comes out of the tunnel in his Steelers uniform.