In an extremely eventful offseason for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Aaron Rodgers, who hasn’t even signed with the team, has dominated the headlines. We’re now well into May, and there still hasn’t been a decision from the Steelers’ top QB target. However, with the NFL releasing the 2025 schedule Wednesday night, some matchups have started to leak. One of those is the Steelers visiting the New York Jets in Week 1. Mike Florio thinks that matchup is a sign that the league expects Aaron Rodgers to sign with Pittsburgh.
“Well, it’s a strong indication that the league is betting that he will,” Florio said Wednesday on 93.7 The Fan. “And I think it’s a safe bet. Now, the fact that it’s not a primetime game gives you a little cover, in the event that he doesn’t. But I’d be willing to err on the side of assuming Rodgers is gonna do it. If that leak is accurate, it will be Week 1, and that will be juicy if it’s Rodgers.”
For Rodgers, this game would have plenty of storylines. Obviously, it would be one of the more polarizing players in recent memory suiting up for one of the NFL’s flagship franchises for the first time. The four-time NFL MVP appearing against the Jets would be a significant matchup as well, as there’s plenty of recent history between those two sides.
Traded to New York before the 2023 season, Rodgers ruptured his Achilles tendon on the Jets’ first drive of the year. In 2024, he struggled to get back up to speed. Even though he looked better as the season progressed, the Jets just never reached the expectations placed on them. Rodgers has since spoken about his displeasure with how things ended in New York, so there could be some animosity between the two sides.
Along with potentially Rodgers, there are other storylines in play, too. Most notable would be new Jets QB Justin Fields, who played for the Steelers last season. He stepped in on short notice in 2024 due to Russell Wilson’s nagging calf injury and won four of the six games he started. Yet the Steelers could not keep him from leaving for New York in free agency. Perhaps he looks at this showdown as a revenge game.
The full schedule will be released at 8 PM/EST. Until then, we are tracking each leak pertaining to Pittsburgh’s 2025 slate, which you can find here.
