This season, Aaron Rodgers gets to face a lot of familiar faces. He’s new to the Pittsburgh Steelers, but he’s been in the league for 20 years. He won’t have to wait long to face one of his former teams, either. Rodgers and the Steelers play the New York Jets in Week 1. While many of their players still have nice things to say about Rodgers, the veteran quarterback might have a bone to pick with their new head coach. Jets star defensive lineman Quinnen Williams is aware of the tall task facing his unit.
“I know he’s working,” Williams said recently on Up and Adams with Kay Adams. “I know what he’s doing. I know he’s putting in the time to destroy everybody on this defense. I know he’s leading.
“I know he’s talking to the receivers and talking to the offensive line about how they got to stop this person or stop that person. I got to come out every single day a little bit more, turn it up a little bit more, and do things a little bit harder and a little bit more because I know he’s over there doing the same thing as us… Aaron’s my guy. I miss Aaron.”
Williams is very familiar with Rodgers. The two were teammates with the Jets during the last two seasons. However, Williams has also faced Rodgers before. In 2022, he and the Jets played Rodgers while he was still with the Green Bay Packers.
That outing saw Williams and the Jets frustrate the Packers’ offense, winning the game 27-10. Williams had a dominant performance, posting two sacks, two tackles-for-loss, and three quarterback hits.
Meanwhile, Rodgers had a quieter day, completing 26 of his 41 passes for 246 yards and one touchdown. Rodgers also had two fumbles, with the Jets recovering one of them.
Now, Williams will be looking to repeat that performance against the Steelers this year. However, Rodgers and the Jets are even more familiar with each other now. That should add an extra element to this contest, with both sides having more in-depth knowledge of the other.
It’s also important to mention that Justin Fields is now the Jets’ starting quarterback. He was with the Steelers last year and has also played against them. Therefore, that situation parallels that of Rodgers and the Jets. There could be a lot of drama associated with the Steelers’ Week 1 matchup, which should make for a fun season opener.
