You don't have to look far to see where Aaron Rodgers' motivation came from in the Pittsburgh Steelers' Week 1 victory over the New York Jets. Early in the 2025 offseason, the Jets had Rodgers fly across the country to New Jersey to tell him that he would not be part of the team's future plans.
Needless to say, this lit a fire under the 41-year-old quarterback.
Rodgers was thrilled to get a matchup against his former team in Week 1, and in his first action as a member of the Steelers, he threw for 244 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions. The result of the game was a 34-32 shootout win over the Jets, as Rodgers went off for a 136.7 passer rating against the team that gave up on him this past offseason.
Now, after sticking it to his former team and following his edgy post-game press conference, Rodgers is already being labeled as a villain (in the best way possible).
Pittsburgh Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers is labeled as villain for his revenge on the New York Jets
Adam Patrick recently wrote an article on NFL Spin Zone, breaking down the heroes and villains around the NFL in Week 1. To no surprise, Aaron Rodgers earned the villain label.
Patrick notes that it's what Rodgers said after the game that makes him a villain after the opening game of the season.
"Given that the win came over his former team, the veteran quarterback was asked after the contest if there was any significance in getting to hand a loss to the Jets after they moved on from him during the offseason," Patrick wrote. "Rodgers didn't hold anything back with his answer: 'I was happy to beat everybody associated with the Jets.'"
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Kudos to Rodgers for being honest. The future Hall of Fame quarterback was clearly hurt by the organization when he was released just one season after returning from a devastating Achilles injury. Who can blame him for wanting to get his sweet revenge on the New York Jets?
Rodgers' revenge tour isn't complete yet.
As the Steelers' quarterback continues to develop chemistry with his new teammates, you can bet he has the Green Bay Packers in his mind. Rodgers spent 18 seasons with the Packers before his former team decided to trade him and turn to quarterback Jordan Love. Rodgers will get another shot at revenge in Week 8 on Sunday Night Football.