The Pittsburgh Steelers–New York Jets matchup could be a marquee game on the Steelers schedule during the 2025 NFL season. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers shared on ESPN’s The Pat McAfee Show on April 17 that he didn’t leave on the best of terms with the Jets.
Should the quarterback sign with the Steelers, Rodgers will face the Jets for the first time since departing New York.
But no matter what, the Steelers-Jets matchup will have a revenge narrative. That’s because quarterback Justin Fields will see the Steelers for the first time since departing Pittsburgh this offseason.
According to NFL schedule release leaks, the Steelers and Jets will face each other to open the 2025 regular season.
The NFL will officially announce the full 2025 regular season slate, including the Steelers schedule, Wednesday night. The NFL Network will air a 2025 schedule release show at 8 pm ET.
But rumors are swirling on social media about the schedule already. Based on the leaks, the Steelers will open the 2025 regular season on the road versus the Jets.
In all likelihood, the leak at least has the fact the Steelers will play on the road to begin the season correct. The Pittsburgh Pirates are home during Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season, so it’s unlikely the league will schedule a Steelers home game for that weekend.
As Steelers fans are well aware, downtown Pittsburgh cannot have Pirates and Steelers home games on the same day because of the closeness of the two stadiums and due to fans for both teams needing to use the same parking lots and garages.
So, unless the Steelers open the 2025 season on Monday Night Football during Week 1, they will very likely be on the road.
Revenge Game for Justin Fields in Week 1 of Steelers Schedule?
For roughly two months after the Steelers lost to the Baltimore Ravens in the postseason, Pittsburgh claimed it wanted either Fields or fellow quarterback Russell Wilson to return. Fields stressed on social media that he wanted to come back too.
But when NFL free agency began, it didn’t take long for Fields to sign with the Jets. Fields inked his deal with New York on the first day of the league’s legal tampering period.
CBS Sports’ Aditi Kinkhabwala reported on March 10 that the Steelers didn’t offer Fields any guaranteed money beyond 2025. That led to the quarterback signing with New York.
The Steelers added Mason Rudolph on March 13. But besides that and drafting Will Howard in the sixth-round, the Steelers haven’t made any other additions behind center this offseason.
Aaron Rodgers Could Add Another ‘Revenge’ Layer to Steelers-Jets
Fields against the Steelers will generate a lot of storylines. But it will be nothing compared to what Rodgers versus the Jets will be if Rodgers plays for the Steelers in Week 1.
Rodgers didn’t hold back when talking about his Jets offseason departure with McAfee. The quarterback said on ESPN, via CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin, that he flew across the country “on my own dime” and then Jets head coach Aaron Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey only met with him for “20 seconds.”
Rodgers added that in those 20 seconds, Glenn told him the team was going in a different direction.
The Jets, though, told a different story through NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
“What I was told at the time was that Aaron had indicated to them, ‘Hey, I’m gonna be on that side of the country in this week,’ and they said, ‘Great, come into the building,’” Pelissero said on The Rich Eisen Show. “And there had been ongoing dialogue up until that about just a variety of different things because they don’t, as Aaron said, he and Aaron Glenn really don’t know each other.
“Aaron clearly, from his perspective, went in there thinking, we’re gonna have a conversation about the future. The Jets very quickly informed him they were going in another direction.”
Because of this fallout, Rodgers facing the Jets could be a big deal. The fact the league scheduled Steelers-Jets during Week 1 may be a strong indication that the NFL is confident Rodgers will sign with the Steelers.
If not, the league always has Fields vs. the Steelers as a fall-back narrative.
