Steelers’ Aaron Rodgers Will Face ‘Excited’ Former Jets Teammate Week 1

Friend or foe?

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ first test as Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback will come with some emotional baggage. That’s because he will be returning to MetLife Stadium to face the New York Jets in Week 1 of the regular season.

Rodgers signed with the Steelers last week after a pair of largely unsuccessful years in New York (OK, North Jersey). Among those looking forward to the reunion is Jets defensive end Jermaine Johnson.

“Obviously, I’m excited, he’s excited,” Johnson said Tuesday at minicamp, according to ESPN’s Rich Cimini. “It was a pleasure having him around and stuff like that and I wish him the best, but when I get between those lines, there’s no friends. I think he knows that, and he feels the same stuff. I’m excited. It’s just another game, but for me it’s going to be my first game back. There will be a lot of emotions, and when my emotions are high, I tend to play pretty well.”

Johnson is recovering from a torn Achilles tendon suffered last year. Rodgers had the same injury the season prior. That sparked a kinship between the 26-year-old Johnson and 41-year-old Rodgers.

“The first thing he said was, ‘You’ll be good, you’ve got a 10-year-plus career. You’re all right, chalk it up,'” Johnson said, per Cimini. “It just kind of let me calm down a little bit and be able to gather myself, take it on the chin and handle it, and do a good job at it. So that’s how I’ve attacked it, and Aaron’s been a huge help.”

Despite Rodgers’ departure for Pittsburgh, this May-December bromance is alive and well. In fact, Johnson said he and Rodgers were texting each other Monday, according to Cimini.

Jets head coach Aaron Glenn said Tuesday that Johnson, a first-round pick in 2022, may start training camp on the PUP list but should be ready for the regular season, according to the New York Post’s Brian Costello.

More Steelers: Myles Garrett Had Funny Response To Aaron Rodgers Joining Steelers