PITTSBURGH — Aaron Rodgers is not giving his former workforce any free bulletin board materials this week.
Talking at his weekly media availability Wednesday, the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback deflected all questions on returning to MetLife Stadium to face the New York Jets in Sunday’s season opener, downplaying the importance of the sport.
Requested whether or not there was something to the sport due to the situation and opponent or whether or not it was enterprise as regular, Rodgers was transient.
“Yeah,” he mentioned, “it is Week 1.”
Rodgers was equally succinct when requested what he expects of his feelings when he runs out of the tunnel at MetLife.
“I’d simply be excited for Week 1,” he mentioned.
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Rodgers, after all, was launched by the Jets, below new coach Aaron Glenn, in March after a disastrous two-year stint in New York that began with a season-ending Achilles harm within the 2023 opener and ended with a disjointed 5-12 marketing campaign in 2024. Rodgers finally landed with the Steelers, signing a one-year, $13.65 million contract previous to their June minicamp after a protracted courtship. The Jets, in the meantime, signed onetime Steelers quarterback Justin Fields to a two-year, $40 million deal early in free company.
For Rodgers, becoming a member of the Steelers is the second time in his profession — and second time in three seasons — he has began over with a brand new group after spending his first 18 years with the Inexperienced Bay Packers. To date, it has been a seamless transition.
“That is the second new, so it is the brand new new,” he mentioned. “I am loving being right here. The way in which that I have been welcomed has been actually, actually particular from prime all the way down to the followers to guys within the locker room and sports activities employees, the women and men that work for this group has been actually, actually particular.”
Although Glenn introduced a brand new defensive system with him to New York, Rodgers nonetheless has loads of familiarity with the gamers in it.
“I do know a few of the guys,” he mentioned. “Clearly the Williams brothers [Quincy and Quinnen] and Sauce [Gardner] and TA [Tony Adams] and Jamien [Sherwood] and Michael Carter, Micheal Clemons, my buddy Jermaine [Johnson] is getting back from his Achilles. I do not wish to overlook anyone. Who else will we received over there? I imply the younger guys, [Braiden] McGregor … Marcelino McCrary-Ball, so yeah, I do know the blokes fairly properly, however they’re working slightly completely different scheme.”
Rodgers, although, was curt when requested whether or not he nonetheless stored in contact with them or anybody else from the group.
“I am not going to let you know that,” he mentioned.
Rodgers’ evasive demeanor about something involving his previous workforce was accurately predicted by Steelers coach Mike Tomlin in his weekly information convention a day earlier.
“I am certain he is able to compartmentalizing that,” Tomlin mentioned of Rodgers’ return. “If it means something to him greater than a traditional recreation, he most likely would not let you know. We will go play soccer.”
Rodgers is not mum concerning the significance of the return to simply the media. He is additionally downplaying it to his new teammates.
“He makes it look like it is simply one other recreation, and I believe that is cool for us, having the ability to simply put it in our minds that it is one other recreation,” tight finish Pat Freiermuth mentioned. “Clearly we wish to go on the market and win it for him, however I do not suppose he is type of residing off that, that we’re going again to his previous stomping floor. I believe he is simply able to go on the market and compete and play.”
Large receiver DK Metcalf mentioned he can see Rodgers’ eagerness to get on the sector, but it surely has nothing to do with the opponent.
“I imply I do not suppose his former workforce has something to do with it,” he mentioned. “I believe he simply loves the sport of soccer, and he is able to go on the market and put a product on the market on the sector. I do know it’s type of a foul style left in his mouth from the earlier years. He simply needs to go on the market and win as many video games as he can.”
Like Rodgers, Metcalf can be desperate to get on the sector at MetLife, not due to any private historical past with the workforce, however as a result of will probably be the primary time the first-team offense has taken a snap as an entire unit in a recreation.
Tomlin, although, is not nervous concerning the lack of recreation motion.
“I see them work every single day, and that each day work results in in-stadium efficiency,” Tomlin mentioned Tuesday. “Do I’ve confidence about what they’re able to in stadium? I might be making it up. None of us have seen our guys in stadium. And so I simply suppose that that is one thing that all of us handle this time of yr. … I believe there’s some hypothesis, and a few not figuring out this time of yr.
“You possibly can disguise below your desk, otherwise you might be assured. I select to base my posture on what I’ve seen from a prep standpoint, and I have been actually snug with what I’ve seen.”
Like his coach, Metcalf additionally minimized considerations concerning the offense’s capacity to get off to a quick begin.
“No,” he mentioned. “That is everyone else’s fear, not mine.”
