Steelers' Aaron Rodgers Fires Explosive Comments At Jets After Week 1 Win

The Pittsburgh Steelers are no strangers to close, heart-pounding wins - but their week 1 win over the New York Jets may take the cake. In a game that came down to a last-second field goal from kicker Chris Boswell, all eyes were on Quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who faced off against his former team, after their relationship ended bitterly in 2024. 

While Rodgers downplayed the Week 1 "revenge game" earlier in the week, he wasn't shy about his feelings in his postgame press conference. 

"I'm just happy to beat everybody associated with the New York Jets," Rodgers said. "There were probably people in the organization that didn't think I could play anymore, so it was nice to remind those people that I still can."

While Rodgers has never been shy about making his opinions known, he was surprisingly quiet leading up to Week 1 — probably to make sure he stayed focus on competing. But it was clear that despite what he said, the game meant a little more to Rodgers.

It's not hard to decipher who Rodgers was referring to when referencing "people in the organization" - it was reported that prior to signing with Pittsburgh, Rodgers went back to New York to meet with the Jets. Shortly after the meeting began, Rodgers was told he was being cut by head coach Aaron Glenn. The bitterness between the two carried into Week 1, with Glenn making comments directed at Rodgers early in the week.  Rodgers, however, got the last laugh, with an impressive performance and a win.

Steelers' Aaron Rodgers Shines in Week 1 Debut

Aaron Rodgers quickly made it clear that he can still play, with an impressive four touchdown performance in the win. It was the first four touchdown performance by a Steelers quarterback since Ben Roethlisberger did so in a wild card loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in 2021.

The first touchdown came on the opening drive, which was the Steelers first Week 1 opening drive since 2008. The team scored 34 points, which is a number that they surpassed only twice in 2024. On the other hand, the Jets didn't score 34 points a single time with Rodgers under center.

Current Jets and former Steelers' quarterback Justin Fields also had an impressive performance on Sunday, which included going 16/22 for 218 yards, one passing touchdown and two rushing touchdowns. Still, it's hard to image that Glenn isn't a little bitter that the quarterback he cast aside beat him in his coaching debut - and Fields has never won when the opposing team has scored more than 23 points, an ugly streak that will continue at least one more week.

At the end of the day, the Steelers will need Rodgers to continue to play at a high level if they want to make a run that leads to a win in the postseason. It's not an easy ask for a 42-year-old quarterback behind a young and improving offensive line to stay healthy all season, but it's an ask that the Steelers have to make. 

If the unit can't keep Rodgers upright and playing at a high level, their season will likely end how it has for the past decade — with either a Wild Card playoff loss, or missing the playoffs altogether. If he can keep up this level of production, however, then the Steelers are looking at a future that they haven't been able to accomplish in a long time - a postseason run.

What did you think of Rodgers' debut for the Steel City? Let us know in the comments below!

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