Steelers' Aaron Rodgers sends message to Jets fans ahead of Week 1 showdown: 'I'm sorry it didn't work out'

Aaron Rodgers was hoping to give the Vince Lombardi Trophy the Jets won after winning Super Bowl III some company when he joined the team two years ago. Rodgers instead endured two challenging seasons with the Jets that ended in an unceremonious fashion. 

Rodgers, who signed with the Steelers this offseason after he was released by the Jets, was recently asked what message he would give to New York's fan base. Rodgers and the Steelers will travel to New York to face the Jets in Week 1 of the 2025 regular season. 

"I really embraced my time there and put as much as myself into it as I possibly could," Rodgers said on Adam Schein's radio show. "I really wanted to win there. I really did. I have a lot of appreciation for the special moments. There weren't a ton of them, but you know, one of the coolest moments, unfortunately, four plays later, was all taken away. But running down that field. It was a special night, and even though it ended very shortly thereafter, that'll always be kind of a special snapshot. 

"I wish it had gone differently up there, for sure. But, you know, I put all I had into it. I mean, tore my Achilles and battled my ass to come back to practice to inspire the guys and hoped to come back. You know, I put a lot into it, and I'm sorry it didn't work out, but I'm thankful for the couple special moments that were had." 

As Rodgers alluded to, his first regular season as a Jet began with him running out onto the field carrying an American flag in Week 1 on what was the 22nd anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The sellout crowd, which was already buzzing with anticipation, reached a frenzied pitch when Rodgers ran out onto the field. 

Everything changed, however, on the Jets' fourth offensive play, when Rodgers suffered what turned out to be a season-ending injury after getting sacked by Bills pass rusher Leonard Floyd. Rodgers amazingly was able to return to practice by late November, but with the Jets' playoff hopes all but diminished, the decision was made to sit out for the remainder of the season while shifting the focus toward 2024. 

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Rodgers played in each of New York's 17 games in 2024 (a pretty significant achievement in itself), but it was a highly-disappointing season for the Jets, who slugged through a 5-12 season that included the in-season firings of coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas. From an individual standpoint, Rodgers played well but not at his typical MVP level. He threw for 3,897 yards and 28 touchdowns, but he also threw 11 interceptions (which is tied for the third-most in a single season for his career) while completing 63% of his passes, his lowest total since 2019. 

While he takes stock in the fact that he played in every game last year, Rodgers isn't taking much else from his lone full season as the Jets' starting quarterback. He said that individual statistics won't define his first season as Pittsburgh's QB1. 

"How I played last year, how I played in 2021, how I played in 2011 don't really mean anything," Rodgers said. "All that matters is how you play the year you're in. 'What have you done for me lately,' is the NFL, and you know, I've been going through my process and learning offense to continue to master that, getting on the same page with my guys and [Arthur Smith].

"I'm excited about what we can do this year, but I have no personal prognostications. I have no specific goals that I would share publicly or things that I need to do to be judged on the season. You're going to be judged by how many wins your team has, how far you go into playoffs. Obviously, because of the recent playoff struggles here; I know that's well documented. In the end, it's just, can you be consistent -- week in week out -- with your performance and your leadership, and can you represent the organization the right way -- on and off the field -- and be a good teammate. Those are kind of the bars. You do those things and you have success, and everything else comes your way." 

It's no coincidence that the Steelers and Jets are facing each other in Week 1. The NFL's schedule makers are tasked with filling each week on the regular-season calendar with as many compelling games as possible. Given what transpired this past season (the Steelers and Jets essentially swapped starting quarterbacks, with Rodgers coming to Pittsburgh and Justin Fields signing with New York), this matchup promises to be one of the most intriguing ones in Week 1. 

While the matchup has plenty of storylines, Rodgers didn't pay his first matchup against his most recent former team any lip service. In short, the 41-year-old, four-time league MVP is -- at least publicly -- looking at this matchup as the first in a long 17-game regular season. 

"Probably nowhere near where it might be made out," Rodgers said when asked about Pittsburgh's Week 1 matchup. "You know, a lot has changed over there. You know, coaching staff wise, player wise. Obviously, I have friendships over there, but it's one game out of 17. And you know, at 5 p.m. ET that Sunday, it's only getting on to the next game. So that's just the way it is." 

Rodgers also reiterated that he has not committed to the 2025 season being his last. 

"I'll reassess all that in the end," Rodgers said. "You know, when I signed one contract, so there was nothing in there about playing longer than one year, but we'll see how it goes. Obviously, you'd love to have success and be healthy. And, you know, we can start there with health and have some success and enjoy it. You know, make a run, it would be really special. And then we'll figure that out come next February."