Think of the most drama-filled matchup possible for Week 1. That's what the NFL just gave the Pittsburgh Steelers. Just hours ahead of the official 2025 NFL Schedule Release on NFL Network, we learned that Mike Tomlin and company will be on the road against the New York Jets for their season opener.
Coincidence? I think not.
It just so happens that the Jets are the team that signed Justin Fields during the 2025 offseason. You remember Fields—the guy Mike Tomlin made an executive decision to bench after Week 6 despite recording 10 total touchdowns and one interception while leading his team to a 4-2 record. That's the guy.
Now, a fired-up Justin Fields will be hungry for revenge against the head coach who benched him for a 36-year-old Russell Wilson and never looked back (even as Wilson crumbled down the stretch).
But that's hardly the only storyline at play here in this Week 1 AFC matchup.
Have we forgotten that the Pittsburgh Steelers have been the odds-on favorites to sign Aaron Rodgers for months? While rookie minicamps are already in the rearview mirror and Rodgers is nowhere to be found, that could change soon. In fact, the NFL might be expecting it to.
Not only would the National Football League get a heated Justin Fields revenge game against the Steelers, but they could also squeeze the most drama possible out of this matchup if Rodgers is also playing in a revenge game against the Jets.
The NFL was begging for drama with Steelers vs. Jets Week 1 matchup
Both Aaron Rodgers and Justin Fields believe that their respective organizations did them wrong during the 2024 season, and both of their tenures ended on a sour note. Now, if Rodgers signs with the Pittsburgh Steelers—as many still expect—this could be one of the most drama-filled opening matchups we've seen in the NFL.
While neither the Steelers nor Jets are expected to be legitimate contenders in the AFC in 2025, this is one matchup all football fans will be tuning in to see.
How will Justin Fields look in his first game with the Jets? How will Aaron Rodgers look in his first game with the Steelers? Which quarterback has the bigger chip on his shoulder?
These questions could all be answered in Week 1. Watching Rodgers and Fields on the opposite sidelines for the Pittsburgh Steelers' season opener against the New York Jets is bound to bring chaos... and the NFL is all about that. Now, all we need to complete the perfect soap opera is for Aaron Rodgers to sign his contract with the Steelers.