Steelers' New Addition Speaks On Playing The Jets In Week 1: "I've Been Waiting For This"

The Pittsburgh Steelers are gearing up to take on Head Coach Aaron Glenn and New York Jets to open up the 2025 NFL season. The game is on the road at MetLife Stadium, which will be an interesting environment with Aaron Rodgers being the starting quarterback for Pittsburgh. The fan base in New York is desperate for any semblance of success, and Rodgers broke a lot of hearts within the Jets' fan base over the last two years due to his Achilles injury and the disappointment that was the 2024 season. He now will get a chance to beat his former team, but he has remained cool and collected when asked about it in the media.

Rodgers is going to be the main storyline heading into this matchup, as will Justin Fields as he prepares to make his first start with New York. However, there are other players that flipped sides going into this game as well, one being cornerback Brandin Echols. The defensive back spent the last four seasons with the Jets before signing with Pittsburgh during the 2025 offseason. Echols did not take the same approach as Rodgers before playing his former team, as he was honest with how he felt about it while talking with Chris Adamski of TribLIVE.

"I’ve been waiting on this game since they first dropped the schedule," Echols said. "No doubt, it’s going to be exciting for me personally. I’ve most definitely got some good memories. It had its ups and downs, but the good outweighed the bad anytime for me."

Echols has some motivation and excitement going into this game against his former team. It will be interesting to see how much he plays for the defense in Pittsburgh as the defensive backfield is fairly crowded, but he should be on the field in dime packages and other obvious passing situations. He also provides some versatility as he can play on the outside and in the slot, which was certainly a factor that helped him make the team over Beanie Bishop Jr.

Echols spent much more time in New York than Rodgers as he played in 57 games over the last four seasons. During his time wearing green and white, he picked off five passes, and he returned two of those for touchdowns. He also broke up 30 passes and recorded 122 total tackles. He will be looking to make some big plays for the Pittsburgh defense on Sunday as he seems to have an extra chip on his shoulder going into this contest.

The defensive back's time in New York seemed to end fairly amicably. His rookie contract expired after the 2024 season and he simply signed with the Steelers during the 2025 offseason. Rodgers had a bit of a different story as the new regime of the organization essentially told him he wasn't wanted and decided to release him. Echols' departure was much easier, but there is a chance he had a similar conversation with the new brass of the Jets and was told they did not want to re-sign him.

Steelers' Aaron Rodgers Likely Feels The Same Way About Playing The Jets

Rodgers would never say something similar to what Echols said out loud, but he could be feeling that same way, especially after the way his time ended with the organization. He is a captain of the offense in Pittsburgh now, so he is not going to do anything to make himself a distraction, or provide any extra motivation for the Jets. He has kept relatively quiet about taking on his former team, but on Sunday, fans should likely expect some fireworks from the quarterback once he is on the field squaring off against his former teammates.

The quarterback is going to need to play decently in order for Pittsburgh to win this game, as it is crucial the franchise gets off to a hot start during the 2025 season.

What do you think about Echols' comments before he takes on his former team? Let us know in the comments below!

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