Just two years ago, Aaron Rodgers was about to begin the first fresh start of his career in New York with the Jets. The hype surrounding that team was at similar levels to the current Pittsburgh Steelers, but it all came crashing down with an Achilles injury at the start of his first game. Two years later, he’s on the Steelers and heading back to New York to play his former team in Week 1.
It may seem like a big deal in the media, but Rodgers doesn’t see it that way. He was asked what it will be like via Mad Dog Sports Radio with Adam Schein on SiriusXM.
“Probably nowhere near where it might be made out,” Rodgers said Monday. “A lot has changed over there coaching staff-wise, player-wise. Obviously, I have friendships over there, but it’s one game outta 17 and at five o’clock eastern on that Sunday it’s only gonna be on to the next game. So that’s just the way it is.”
The media will label it as a “revenge game” for both Rodgers and Justin Fields. They will play up the fact that Fields was 4-2 with the Steelers before being unduly benched in favor of Russell Wilson. And the fact that Rodgers was none too pleased with the way the Jets ended things by flying him all the way to New York from California only to show him the door.
To a certain degree, both sides will want this one a little more than the rest, but Rodgers has been around the NFL for far too long to get worked up over a game with the Jets.
If anything, Fields has more grounds for this to be a true revenge game than Rodgers does. The Steelers could have paid him the relatively inexpensive contract he received in New York, but they didn’t view him as the future of the franchise enough to warrant $20 million or more per season.
Rodgers had nothing but nice things to say about his time in New York.
“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 we had,” Rodgers said.
For Rodgers, it will be just the first step toward redeeming himself after a two-year nightmare in New York and potentially riding off into the sunset with his legacy fully intact after a solid season with the highly esteemed Pittsburgh Steelers.
