Aaron Rodgers vs. Justin Fields REVENGE GAME loading? 🔋 Whose win would be SWEETER? | First Take

Aaron Rodgers vs. Justin Fields REVENGE GAME loading? 🔋 Whose win would be SWEETER? | First Take

Revenge game on the docket, folks. Aaron Rogers will make his first start under Mike Tomlin for the Steelers, facing his former team in the New York Jets, who moved on from him. Meanwhile, Justin Fields will be experiencing those same emotions, taking on the black and yellow in the uniform he used to dawn. This matchup is Sunday at 1 Eastern in Metife. Jmack, do you think a win would be sweeter for Fields or for Rogers? It’s Justin Fields for me. I think that’s the obvious answer. Justin Fields as a young quarterback still trying to figure out where he fits in the NFL landscape. I think on top of that, you look at Justin Fields, he spent last year with the Pittsburgh Steelers, had a winning record. And at the end of the season, not only did Pittsburgh move on from Justin Fields, they moved on from Fields without a plan. They let him walk out the door. Had no idea what Aaron Rodgers was going to do. Didn’t go after Sam Darnold. Had no clear-cut plan of action to say, “You know what? We’re letting go of Justin Fields because we’ve improved the position and we have this guy that we’re going to sign. For me, if I’m Justin Fields, that’s a terrible feeling in the sense of this is an organization, an offensive coordinator, a head coach who had me in their building for an entire season, saw me go out there and perform when Russell Wilson was down, and then bench me with a winning record, never went back to me when the team struggled. And right when free agency picked up, I found a suitor for me. I found someone that appreciated me. I want to go prove to the New York Jets that I was worth the love and the appreciation by going out there and defeating my former team. I look at it for Aaron Rodgers. The Jets were in a totally different situation, rebuilding, bringing in a whole new cast of people, new general manager, new head coach. it made sense to move on from Aaron Rogers at his age and what the productivity was over the last two years with the injury included for Justin Fields. You can’t imagine or come up with a reason why it made sense for Pittsburgh to move on from him at that point. So to me, the clear-cut answer is Justin Fields. It would be much sweeter of a victory for him. Stephen A. Go ahead, Kimberly. Go ahead, Kimberly. H again disappointed Jason because the answer is not obvious that it’s Justin Fields because the answer is Aaron Rogers number one he’s about to be 42 years old so he’s on the back nine this is potentially it for him also the Steelers did want to keep Justin that was their plan and Justin’s the one who spurned them and said there’s haggling about guaranteed money Justin went on this is an opportunity where I can be the starter when I look at the Steelers Steelers, they went all in. They had a very unsteelike off season. We’re going to go out pay all this money to DK Metaf. We’re going to go out and get Aaron Rodgers. He may be almost 42, but we have visions and talking about what we could be a playoff team. Mike Tomlin never having a losing season. Not just that, but Aaron Rogers is returning to this scene of the crime from the standpoint of I was there when he tore when he tore the Achilles. That was that moment, that pregame moment of him running out with the American flag. Met life had never been popping like that in a long time. And for him to have that 2-year period with the Jets where he was just a shell of himself. Now he goes to Pittsburgh there. People are now wondering like, is he slow? Has he lost a step? Can he be the Aaron Rogers of old? To me, it is clear because Justin Field’s career is far from over. There is still time to figure out where he could land. And if if it’s not the Jets, he could be a serviceable backup, a starter. His story is not yet written. Whereas for Aaron Rodgers, it’s the last chapter and this book is about to be closed. That’s why you’re wrong, Kimberly. Because with Aaron Rogers, it’s his last chapter with Justin Fields. He’s trying to write his first one because let me tell you something right now. Rewrite it. I would say because this is his third team over the last few years and nobody seems to want him. And I think what Jay Max said was very profound. when you were starting quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers, you won more than you lost and they still benched you for Russell Wilson. And then they let you walk out the door pretty much unchallenged for crying out loud. For a dude that tore his Achilles two years ago, four plays into a season, came back last year, was still a shell of himself in terms of QBR, had 28 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, threw for over 3,500 yard, 3,800 yards, but still uh wasn’t it was just a shell of himself. and the Steelers still said, “We’ll wait to make sure we have him. You can go ahead and leave.” And so, if you’re Justin Fields, you got a new coach in Aaron Glenn, you got a New York Jets franchise that you’ve taken over, uh, that there’s some ray of hope because they’ve had 14 consecutive seasons where they’ve missed the playoffs. They’ve had nine consecutive losing seasons. I mean, this is a morabund franchise. Purgatory is their middle name. And when you look at it from that standpoint, if you’re looking at Justin Fields and he has an opportunity to resurrect that, that would be definitely sweeter. The Steelers have grander expectations. They’re not going to be defined by one game. I personally believe they need to win early, don’t get me wrong. So, I get your point. But I do think that because of Justin Fields trying to have a career that’s entirely different than somebody writing the final chapter of a Hall of Fame career. Stephen A, you proved my point just now because when you look at the Steelers schedule, the first half in theory on paper is easier than the rest of the schedule. If they don’t come out and beat a Jets team where, like you say, more a bun looking for playoff appearances, trying to have a good record, another changeover as far as head coach and GM and all that. What does that say about the Steelers? A team that you just said has lofty expectations. Correct. Allow me to answer that. Allow me to answer that. You’re absolutely right in the point that you’re making. My answer to that would be Mike Tomlin. The same Kimberly Martin that just articulated so eloquently what her point was is the same Kimberly Martin that has come on the show on countless occasions saying how you cannot count Mike Tomlin out that no matter what he does, somehow someway he ends up achieving the impossible or achieving things that you didn’t foreshadow or foresee. We’re talking about the Baltimore Ravens, the Cincinnati Bengals being two teams that’s perceived as being better than the than the Pittsburgh Steelers. Okay? We’re talking about a Pittsburgh Steelers team wondering whether or not they can even make the playoffs. And somehow someway in 18 years, Mike Tomlin has never had a losing season. So, that’s not somebody who’s going to be made or broken by what happens in game one of an NFL season. He’s proven that he can defy odds and make you at the very least respectable no matter what our expectations were and no matter what transpires early. that Aaron Glenn hasn’t achieved that yet. And the New York Jets franchise damn sure hasn’t achieved that. [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music]

Stephen A. Smith, Jason McCourty and Kimberley A. Martin join Molly Qerim on First Take to preview Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Justin Fields and the New York Jets in Week 1 of the 2025-26 NFL season.

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