Aaron Rodgers returned to MetLife Stadium as the starting quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers for his first game of the 2025 NFL season. New York Jets fans did not make him welcome.
They greeted him with a loud chorus of boos.
Don’t get me wrong, I am all for fans who choose to boo an NFL opponent, no matter the circumstances. It is the vitriolic hatred toward the 41-year-old that proves a clear disconnect from reality.
Aaron Rodgers didn’t want to leave the New York Jets.
First and foremost, Rodgers left money on the table to join an organization that often proves to be the butt of jokes. A four-time MVP and Super Bowl champion wanted to play for the New York Jets.
That does not happen often, if ever. He wanted to change the culture of a floundering franchise.
It was not his fault he tore his achilles in 2023 and the team around him was not good enough in 2024.
This is not to absolve Rodgers of blame for what proved to be a difficult two-year run with the Jets. There were a number of things he could’ve done differently. He was often inconsistent in crunch time.
No matter how much they struggled, Rodgers never gave up on his team. At no point did he say a single bad word about the fanbase— even though it would’ve been warranted.
And to go one step further, Rodgers wanted to stick around for 2025 to finish what he started!
Aaron Glenn made him fly across the country just to send him right back with a turn of his nose. That was the team’s decision, not his decision.
Fans booed him anyway.
Aaron Rodgers made his return to the Meadowlands as the starting quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. The whole stadium booed him when he took the field.
Jets fans give Aaron Rodgers a not-so-warm welcome in his return to MetLife pic.twitter.com/5D9CiSZ5tc
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) September 7, 2025
I am pro-boo. Boo everything. It’s funny!
However, Jets fans were not booing just to boo. They were specifically booing their former quarterback.
Aaron Rodgers did not deliver results, sure, but he did everything right by the organization. To boo him for how he played last season proves you do not know ball.
To boo him for his opinions and weird behavior off the field is a waste of time and energy. He does not know you exist. You are letting him live rent-free in your head. Get over it.
Boo away, New York Jets fans. Just know that you may never have a better signal-caller under center!