The Pittsburgh Steelers and the other 31 organizations in the NFL are patiently waiting for the regular season to kick off. Pittsburgh opens the season on the road in New Jersey as the Steelers will be taking on the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. This game is going to have a ton of storylines that come from it, with the main ones surrounding the two starting quarterbacks. Aaron Rodgers was signed by Pittsburgh after being released by the Jets, and Justin Fields chose the Jets over the Steelers in free agency. Now the two will square off, only it will be opposite of the teams they started games for in 2024.
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Former Steelers quarterback Justin Fields warms up pregame before a Week 15 matchup against the Eagles in 2024.
Fields was signed as the unquestioned starter for the Jets, and the organization gave him more than the Steelers were willing as he signed a two-year deal worth $40 million with $20 million guaranteed. Reports regarding Fields coming out of training camp have not been great, which should set Pittsburgh's new look defense up for success.
Steelers inside linebacker Payton Wilson joined The Insiders on Tuesday night, and he shared what it will be like going up against his former quarterback.
"You try to take it game by game, but Week 1's not too far away, so you're just chomping at the bit to get to that," Wilson said. "It'll be fun. I've actually built a great relationship with Justin. I'm just excited to get out there and compete against him. Obviously, we want to go out there and absolutely destroy Justin, but at the end of the day, Justin's a great guy, and I'm just super excited to play against him, and I can't wait for that Week 1 matchup."
The defense in Pittsburgh is certainly salivating at the opportunity to play against Fields, and he is probably looking to get revenge on the team that wound up benching him after six quality starts in 2024. It is going to be an interesting matchup, but there is no denying that the defense for the Steelers probably has the upper hand on the Jets' offense.
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Steelers middle linebacker Payton Wilson (41) during 2025 training camp in Latrobe, PA.
The Steelers will likely have an edge on both offense and defense going into Week 1. The defense will be taking on its former quarterback, who the unit squared off against often in practice after he was moved to the backup role in the middle of the 2024 season. Offensively, Rodgers should be playing with a chip on his shoulder after being released by the Jets and being told he was no longer wanted by the franchise under the new regime.
In addition to potentially feeling wronged by the organization, Rodgers probably also knows the tendencies of some of the players on New York's defense. The same can be said for Fields, but Rodgers is probably in more of a position to take advantage of that tool due to his experience and wisdom.
Steelers Will Have To Contain Justin Fields On The Ground
Fields has had trouble with his accuracy throughout training camp and the preseason, and it is hard to imagine that he is going to be able to excel as a passer during the Week 1 matchup. Pittsburgh has a revamped and improved secondary to pair with arguably the best pass rush in the league, so passing is not going to come easy. This means the defense is going to need to be prepared for a heavy dosage of Fields' running ability, while also being able to contain running backs Breece Hall and Braelon Allen.
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Former Steelers quarterback Justin Fields (7) looks on during a drill at training camp at Atlantic Health Jets Training Center.
If Pittsburgh can find a way to keep Fields contained on the ground, the Jets' offense should be fairly easy to shut down. This will take some pressure off of Pittsburgh's offense, and allow the unit to get used to playing with one another as the season begins.
What do you think about Wilson's comments on playing Fields? Let us know in the comments below!
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