In Florham Park, New Jersey, the New York Jets, known for their media impact when Aaron Rodgers was their quarterback, have turned down the volume this week. They are preparing to face Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday at MetLife Stadium. Coach Aaron Glenn, in his first year, showed no interest on Tuesday in revisiting the decision to release Rodgers in February, a move that drew criticism from the future Hall of Famer.
Glenn, who has avoided questions related to Rodgers since his hiring, now has Justin Fields as his replacement. Fields will face his former team, marking the first season-opening game in history between quarterbacks who switched teams from the previous year. The matchup is full of potential rematches. Fields acknowledged that, from the fans’ perspective, “the story is crazy. That’s why the NFL set us up for Week 1, just for that.” However, Fields insisted that he will not allow this to affect his focus on the game.It is not relevant to the present.
Aaron Glenn
Other players, when asked about facing Rodgers, were notably brief in their responses. Rodgers’ stint in New York was a failure, from his Achilles tendon injury in the first game of the 2023 season to a disappointing 5-12 record last season. Glenn decided on a change, letting Rodgers go and signing Fields to a two-year, $40 million contract. Rodgers, who arrived at the Steelers in June, criticized Glenn during an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show,” alleging that the new coach showed no respect in the way he handled his departure. Glenn, before Tuesday’s practice, said:There is no story for me. It’s playing football, so I’ll let you guys handle the stories, the news, and things like that. In the locker room, we just play football.
Justin Fields
Glenn, after being hired, reviewed every play of the 2024 season, and probably rewatched them in recent days to prepare for Rodgers, who didn’t play in the preseason. He declined to share his thoughts on what he saw of the four-time MVP.That already happened, so I won’t answer questions about players who aren’t here and what I saw. Right now, I’m seeing what our players can do.
Aaron Glenn
Glenn did have positive things to say. He called Rodgers “a future Hall of Famer, we all know that, so he’s going to cause problems no matter what.” He believes the Jets’ defensive players learned a lot from being around him.As I said, I am not going to sit and answer questions about what I saw at that time.
Aaron Glenn
Fields said he has never met Rodgers, except for exchanging jerseys after a game a few years ago. Now they have changed teams. Fields described his mindset as he prepares for his debut with the Jets as “tranquil, calm, and serene”. Fields mentioned that he “considered” returning to the Steelers in free agency, although it is believed that the Jets’ guarantee ($30 million) was considerably higher than the Steelers’ offer. Fields started the first six games for Pittsburgh last season while Russell Wilson was injured, but he was benched despite a 4-2 record. He insisted that he has no hard feelings towards the Steelers.I think there’s some value in our guys being a part of that. He talked to them about football in general and our guys really took it in and have grown from all those things. So, there’s value in making sure you’re on a team with a player like that. I know it helped those guys a lot.
Aaron Glenn
No, not at all. As I told you before, I firmly believe that everything happens for a reason. I was in a place last year where I could see the game from a different perspective. I learned a lot from Russ and all the other veterans there, so, not at all.
Justin Fields
