Justin Fields Wants to Hurt NFL’s Plans After Aaron Glenn Called Aaron Rodgers Decision Irrelevant

The NFL scripted a revenge clash: Justin Fields vs. Aaron Rodgers, two quarterbacks who swapped cities and legacies. Now they collide in a fiery Week 1 showdown shaped by benchings, injuries, and unfinished business. But inside the New York Jets locker room, the narrative feels different, Fields has made that clear, and he might just derail the league’s carefully crafted storyline.

The new Jets’ quarterback knew exactly what the NFL was doing: setting up Week 1 for maximum drama. “The storyline is crazy,” Fields said. “That’s why the NFL set us up for Week 1, just for that.” The “that” is the spectacle of his Jets debut against Aaron Rodgers, the same quarterback Glenn let walk away in February. For the league, it’s a TV fantasy, revenge storylines, and quarterbacks who changed sides. Fields moved swiftly to push back: “There’s no storyline for me. It’s ball for me. In the locker room, we just keep it straight ball.”

His intent seems clear, to disrupt the NFL’s planned narrative and to not play along with the hype. He’s avoiding the media hype and has no interest in revisiting his brief stint behind Russell Wilson in Pittsburgh, where he was benched despite a 4–2 record. He even specified that he has no ill feelings toward the Steelers: “I’m a big believer in everything happens for a reason … I learned a lot from Russ and just all the other vets there.”

Nevertheless, Fields is aware of the stakes. He went to New York because the franchise provided faith. He was guaranteed $30 million as part of a two-year deal worth $40 million. “Cool, calm, collected,” is how he characterized himself, but there is an undertone to it: this is his opportunity to redefine his story.

The Jets have spent decades haunted by the ghosts of January disappointments. Four journeys to the AFC Championship have resulted in four defeats, each a reminder of the difficulty of achieving real success. Their Week 1 depth chart is only more intriguing.

Jeremy Ruckert, previously buried on the roster, is TE1. Allen Lazard begins at wide receiver. And Josh Myers and Joe Tippmann both being designated as starting centers. As the Jets turn the page with a fresh lineup, Glenn is making it clear, Rodgers belongs to the past.

Glenn keeps Rodgers in the past

If Fields is focused on muting the NFL’s drama, Glenn is trying to smother it entirely. Asked again about his decision to move on from Rodgers, the coach’s patience wore thin. “It’s not relevant to right now,” Glenn said. Pressed further, he cut it off: ”That’s been gone … I’m not going to answer questions about guys that aren’t here. Right now, I’m looking at what our guys can do.”

At one level, Glenn is correct. Rodgers in Pittsburgh doesn’t alter the Jets’ preparation. But in practice, the choices have had relevance since the time it was made. Rodgers’ New York stint didn’t go well with a torn Achilles in 2023, 5–12 in 2024. After that move, Glenn and GM Darren Mougey tied their reputations to Fields. Now every Steelers throw Rodgers makes and every Jets drive Fields leads will be entries in the same running tab in fans’ minds.

That is why Glenn’s position seems both sensible and unachievable. Fair or not, his first year will be measured in the shadow of Rodgers. If Fields excels and Rodgers underperforms, Glenn will seem like a visionary. If the converse occurs, critics will pounce before the team gets on the bus to go home from MetLife.

However, Glenn is betting on focus over nostalgia. He praised Rodgers as a “future Hall of Famer” and credited the lessons players absorbed from him. But his message was clear: Rodgers is someone else’s quarterback now. “I’m looking at what our guys can do,” he repeated. Moreover, for Glenn and Fields, the only way to escape the storyline isn’t to debate it—it’s to win.