Aaron Rodgers predicted to dominate Jets in revenge return to MetLife

Aaron Rodgers will be back under the bright lights of MetLife Stadium this Sunday, only this time he’ll be wearing black and gold. The New York Jets open their 2025 season against the Pittsburgh Steelers in what’s already shaping up to be one of the NFL’s most dramatic Week 1 storylines.

Rodgers will have an opportunity to get even with his former team after the Jets made the decision to move on this offseason, and not everyone believes the Jets will be able to pull off the win.

In fact, one prediction has Rodgers not just beating the Jets, but putting on a show to remind them exactly what they lost. That prediction comes from Ryan Heckman of NFL Spin Zone, who projects Rodgers to throw for over 300 yards in a Steelers victory.

Heckman predicts Rodgers and his new team will “start the season with a bang,” while Justin Fields and the Jets “suffer one more loss to a familiar foe.” Still, recent history suggests this might be more wishful thinking than a realistic outlook for Steelers fans.

Will Aaron Rodgers get revenge on the Jets in Week 1?

It’s easy to understand why someone would make a prediction like this. The “LOL Jets” narrative is always lurking in the background, and few things would fit that script better than Rodgers walking back into MetLife and torching his former team.

Add in the fact that Rodgers should be plenty motivated to make a statement against the organization that cut ties with him, and the storyline practically writes itself. It's what every non-Jets fan probably wants to see happen.

On top of that, the Steelers enter 2025 with legitimate playoff aspirations, a dominant pass rush led by T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith, and a defense that thrives on making quarterbacks uncomfortable.

Meanwhile, the Jets’ offensive line just suffered a crushing blow with the loss of Alijah Vera-Tucker, while rookie right tackle Armand Membou faces the unenviable task of making his debut against one of the NFL’s best defensive fronts.

But there are other factors to consider, most notably Rodgers' recent Week 1 struggles. The four-time MVP has lost three consecutive season-openers, excluding the 2023 season in which he played just four games before infamously suffering a torn Achilles.

Rodgers has failed to even surpass 200 passing yards in each of those three games, throwing one touchdown to go along with four interceptions. Week 1 hasn't been kind to Rodgers in recent years.

Throw in the fact that he’s now playing in a completely new offensive system — one run by Arthur Smith that’s vastly different from any scheme he’s operated in before — and still building chemistry with his new playmakers, and it’s fair to question whether Rodgers is truly ready to "dominate" the Jets in Week 1.

For all the talk of revenge and redemption, Week 1 will ultimately come down to whether the Jets can expose Rodgers’ obvious late-career weaknesses, or if the future Hall of Famer reminds everyone he still has something left in the tank.

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