Jets, Fields not getting caught up in storylines for Steelers tilt

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — The New York Jets, known for making a lot of noise when Aaron Rodgers was their quarterback, are turning down the volume this week as they prepare to face Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday at MetLife Stadium.

First-year coach Aaron Glenn showed no interest Tuesday in revisiting his decision to release Rodgers in February — a move that sparked a torrent of criticism from the future Hall of Famer.

“It’s not relevant to right now,” said Glenn, who has demurred from Rodgers-related questions since his hiring.

Justin Fields, Glenn’s choice to replace Rodgers, will face his previous team — the first season-opening game in history between starting quarterbacks who changed teams they started for the previous year, according to ESPN Research.

The showdown is soaked with revenge angles. Fields acknowledged that, from a fan perspective, “The storyline is crazy. I mean, that’s why the NFL set us up for Week 1, just for that.”

In his next breath, Fields insisted he won’t allow it to impact his approach to the game.

“There’s no storyline for me,” he said matter-of-factly. “It’s ball for me, so I’ll let you guys kind of handle the storylines, the news lines and stuff like that. In the locker room, we just keep it straight ball.”

Other players were noticeably clipped in their responses when asked about facing Rodgers.

Rodgers’ two-year run in New York was an epic failure, from his season-ending Achilles injury in the 2023 season opener to a disappointing 5-12 record last season. Glenn decided to make a change, parting with Rodgers and signing Fields to a two-year, $40 million contract.

Rodgers, who landed with the Steelers in June, ripped Glenn during an April appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show,” claiming the new coach showed no respect in how he handled the ouster.

“That’s been gone, so I’m not going to answer questions about guys that aren’t here and what I saw,” Glenn said before practice Tuesday. “Right now, I’m looking at what our guys can do.”

Upon being hired, Glenn watched every play from the 2024 season, and he probably rewatched a lot of them in recent days to prepare for Rodgers, who didn’t play in the preseason. He declined to share any thoughts on what he saw from the four-time MVP.

“Just like I said, I’m not going to sit there and answer questions on what I saw back then,” Glenn said.

Glenn did have some nice things to say. He said Rodgers is “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.

“I do think there is some value to our guys being able to be a part of that,” said Glenn, adding that those players “had a really good relationship” with Rodgers. “He’s talked to them just about football in general and our guys, they really took that in, and they’ve grown from all those things. So, there is value to making sure that you’re on a team with a player like that. I know he helped those guys a lot.”

Fields said he has never met Rodgers, except for exchanging jerseys with him after a game a few years ago. Now they’ve swapped teams.

“Cool, calm, collected,” Fields said, describing his mentality as he prepares for his Jets debut.

Fields said he “considered” returning to the Steelers in free agency, though it’s believed the Jets’ guarantee ($30 million) was considerably greater 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 he has no ill feelings toward the Steelers.

“No, not at all,” he said. “Like I told you guys before, I’m a big believer in everything happens for a reason. I was in a spot last year where I was able to see the game from a different perspective. I learned a lot from Russ and just all the other vets there, so not at all.”