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Aaron Rodgers has spent the past few years at the center of NFL drama. We saw the abrupt end of his Green Bay tenure, the short-lived New York Jets experiment, the devastating Achilles injury, and finally his release in 2025. At 41 years old, he could have walked away. Instead, he signed a one-year deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers. That’s a move that many thought was about nostalgia or pride. After his Week 1 performance against his former team, though, it’s clear that this Rodgers still has plenty of fire left. With this version of him, the Steelers might just have what it takes to chase a Super Bowl.
In one of Week 1’s most thrilling contests, the Steelers edged the Jets 34-32 in Rodgers’ black-and-gold debut. The four-time MVP torched his former team with four touchdown passes, displaying poise and precision in a shootout that kept MetLife Stadium electric. Pittsburgh secured the lead for good on Chris Boswell’s career-long 60-yard field goal with just over a minute to play. They then sealed the win when Jalen Ramsey broke up Justin Fields’ fourth-down heave in the final seconds.
The path to victory was anything but smooth. The Steelers trailed for much of the night before storming back with a fourth-quarter surge that included two Rodgers touchdown strikes and a pivotal forced fumble on special teams. Though the Jets briefly regained the lead, Rodgers coolly connected with DK Metcalf on an 11-yard completion to set up Boswell’s game-winner. Rodgers finished with 244 yards on 22-of-30 passing. Meanwhile, Fields delivered 218 yards and three total scores in defeat. For Rodgers, the opener wasn’t just a win. It was a statement of vindication.
Here we’ll try to look at and discuss if Aaron Rodgers’s strong 2025 debut vs. Jets make him a 2025 NFL MVP frontrunner.
Cut loose by the Jets just months ago, Rodgers returned to MetLife with something to prove. Needless to say, he delivered. Four touchdown passes without an interception made him the first player in 60 years to debut with a new team by hitting those marks. It was a performance that reminded everyone why Rodgers is a first-ballot Hall of Famer. He doesn’t just play quarterback; he elevates teams in critical moments.
Rodgers was far from flawless, though. He took four sacks and looked less mobile than in his prime. Some throws sailed high, and one near-interception was saved only by a defender’s fingertips. That said, when the game tightened, he was at his best, engineering yet another game-winning drive to add to his legendary résumé. If this is the Rodgers Pittsburgh gets all year, they’ll be a nightmare come January.
A 41-year-old Rodgers is no longer the escape artist who terrorized defenses with broken plays. His lack of mobility was evident Sunday, as he rarely gained yards with his legs. That’s the tradeoff with a...
