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As Justin Fields energizes Jets, we'll know soon if Steelers goofed with Aaron Rodgers
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- As Justin Fields energizes Jets, we'll know soon if Steelers goofed with Aaron Rodgers
Editor's note: This story is a part of a series by USA TODAY Sports called Project: June . We will publish at least one NFL-themed story every day throughout the month because fans know the league truly never sleeps.
It's a legitimate shame that Aaron Rodgers had to wait so long to sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers – for no other reason than the entire country won't get to see him face his most recent team, the New York Jets , on a prime-time pedestal during the 2025 NFL season.
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Naturally, reunion/revenge games – apply your label of choice – are typically fun, and the league did slot Rodgers' first matchup with his original team, the Green Bay Packers , into Week 8's "Sunday Night Football" window. Yet nearly three years removed from his final appearance with the Pack, that contest could be more reunion adjacent.
But the Jets? The team that summarily cut Rodgers, according to him, after he flew across the country at his own expense for what turned out to be a very brief sit-down with new head coach Aaron Glenn in February? Not only will that Week 1 meeting be saturated in spice following the failed Rodgers experiment in New York, it will provide the initial exit polling of who won what will wind up being a de facto trade of quarterbacks after the NYJ signed Justin Fields , Pittsburgh's opening day starter in 2024 and a player the Steelers tried to bring back this year, per reports.
In words rarely uttered or written, I'm guessing that, in the aftermath of this veritable swap, the Jets will come out looking like the better run organization than the Steelers.
Admittedly, it's dangerous to draw conclusions from what occurs on NFL practices fields in May and June. However it's natural to glean impressions, and the ones Fields has given off in Florham Park, N.J., lately have been almost universally positive.
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"(H)e has this quiet confidence about himself. He leads by the way that he wants to lead, alright. His influence with the guys out there, I think you guys can see it. He can galvanize a group of men," Glenn said earlier this week when asked about Fields' progress.
Galvanize a group of men. Rodgers certainly electrified the Jets' fan base upon his arrival via trade two years ago . But his 2023 season was infamously short-circuited after four plays by an Achilles tear. And there was definitely no galvanizing apparent amid a 5-12 campaign in 2024, one that incrementally saw former coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas swept aside before the rest of the staff and then Rodgers were pink slipped.
And now?
As he typically does regardless of circumstances, Rodgers proceeded on his own timeline this spring − though, in fairness, he recently revealed that some people close to him are battling cancer, and that made him reluctant to immediately jump back into football. As the Steelers stood by and waited, the most notable thing that occurred with their otherwise pedestrian group of quarterbacks was longtime backup Mason Rudolph 's recent appearance at a Donald Trump rally in suburban Pittsburgh – one that forced the Steelers, whose Rooney family ownership has long leaned Democratic, to respond to enraged fans who were upset when Trump was presented with a team jersey.
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Meanwhile, Fields, who was largely impressive while leading Pittsburgh to a 4-2 start in 2024 before coach Mike Tomlin's decision – some would call it misguided , as I did then – to pivot to Russell Wilson , has been all business so far with the Jets. (Ironically enough, that's probably for the best given Fields' current boss, team owner Woody Johnson, was the American ambassador to the United Kingdom during Trump's first term.) But let's stick to football, right?
Again, it's June. But Fields has looked spry this spring, something Rodgers hasn't really been since leaving Wisconsin. How quickly we forget this is a guy who rushed for more than 1,100 yards with the flawed 2022 Chicago Bears , who made Fields a first-round pick the year before ... and then did next to nothing to help him, usually a stratagem reserved for quarterbacks the Jets draft. Lately, Fields, 26, has been busy organizing team-building events with his new mates, several of whom initially deified four-time league MVP Rodgers but didn't necessarily connect with him on a personal level. Importantly, on that very front, Fields has resumed vibing with star wideout Garrett Wilson , whom he played with at Ohio State. (Also, it's fair to say Wilson, who's now open to a long-term extension and wants to be "a Jet for life," was quite clearly not galvanized by his former quarterback last season.)
"(Wilson) has been my guy for a long time now, so I really feel like we haven't skipped a beat out on the practice field. It's been great so far just being with him," Fields said last week.
"(W)hen I came here it's like we really didn't miss a day. He's been great."
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Whether the Jets will be great in 2025 or the near future remains to be seen. But Fields seems to be in the optimal spot. After getting benched for Russell Wilson, who initially soared then predictably sank the Steelers last season , Fields is now with a team that is showing him the love after showing him the money – even if two years and $40 million are bargain-bin bucks as it pertains to NFL quarterbacks. But he's reunited with Garrett Wilson and working behind a heavily resourced offensive line, a luxury he's rarely had during his four NFL seasons, and seems to have a chance to fully leverage his dual threat ability and potential.
"I think I can be great, and that's been the goal for me my whole life, my whole career," says Fields. "I think the sky's the limit for this team, for this offense.
"I mean, we have all the guys we need, we have all the talent. So it's really just going to come down to discipline and execution when the games come."
And the first one comes Sept. 7 at 1 p.m. ET, when the Steelers – and Rodgers – travel to the Meadowlands.
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WINNERS AND LOSERS: Sooo many questions as Rodgers finally heads to Pittsburgh
"(I)f Aaron decides to play, it probably just makes many – if not all – the Steelers games a little more interesting," league scheduling czar Mike North said last month after the NFL released its 2025 docket, even as Rodgers remained in limbo.
"We tried to play it down the middle. If we knew for certain that Aaron was going to be the quarterback of the Steelers, we might've done something a little different in Week 1 with the Steelers game."
Still, when the topic is "different," there's no doubt the Jets and Steelers both look vastly altered in 2025 – and that seemed inevitable some time ago for Gang Green, spanked 37-15 in Pittsburgh last October and falling to 2-5, when Russell Wilson made his Steelers debut. Fields didn't play that night, and Rodgers was miserable (two interceptions) .
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Forging ahead, it's hard to envision the Steelers, who clearly needed a quarterback, and Rodgers, who clearly needed a team, accomplishing much more than averting Tomlin's first losing season. It's reasonable to expect Rodgers, especially if he can remain healthy all season, to be a superior option to Wilson behind center – though it must be noted he has far less familiarity with the Steelers from schematic and personnel standpoints than he did with the Jets … and, aside from private throwing sessions with DK Metcalf , that's hardly changed this spring.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - OCTOBER 13: Justin Fields #2 of the Pittsburgh Steelers throws a pass in the first quarter of a game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on October 13, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Candice Ward/Getty Images)
As for Fields? He now seems to have a longer and more promising runway – one the Steelers might have had by keeping him in the saddle last season and allowing him to potentially flourish into the franchise quarterback they haven't had since Ben Roethlisberger was at his peak. Yet how ironic would it be if Fields fills that same role for the long woebegone Jets, who have been effectively grounded since Hall of Famer Joe Namath was at his peak five decades ago? Not that Glenn wants to apply that kind of pressure.
"Listen, obviously he's a talented player, and I'm happy that I have him as my quarterback," the rookie HC said of Fields, who presented numerous problems when he was with the Bears and Glenn was in charge of the NFC North rival Detroit Lions ' defense.
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"I really am," continued Glenn, "because I think the sky's the limit for this player, I really do. Listen, I'm not going to go out there and say that he's the next Joe Namath or anything like that. But I will tell you what, man, he's going to be a good player for us. And I'm excited with what he's going to do for us this season."
And it just might be significantly more than Rodgers manages in Western Pennsylvania, where extended buyer's remorse remains a risk.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: As Aaron Rodgers joins Steelers, Justin Fields could elevate Jets
