Rich Cimini
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — New York Jets defensive end Jermaine Johnson will make his long-awaited return from Achilles surgery against someone who knows that feeling — former teammate Aaron Rodgers, the new quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Jets and Steelers play in Week 1 at MetLife Stadium, a matchup rich in revenge angles. Johnson said he and Rodgers were texting each other Monday night.
“Obviously, I’m excited, he’s excited,” Johnson said Tuesday at minicamp. “It was a pleasure having him around and stuff like that and I wish him the best, but when I get between those lines, there’s no friends.
“I think he knows that, and he feels the same stuff. I’m excited. It’s just another game, but for me it’s going to be my first game back. There will be a lot of emotions, and when my emotions are high, I tend to play pretty well.”
Johnson ruptured his right Achilles last season in Week 2, just about one year to the day after Rodgers ruptured his left Achilles in his first game for the Jets. Johnson, a 2022 first-round pick, isn’t participating in minicamp and could begin training camp on the physically unable to perform list, but he’s expected for the regular season, according to coach Aaron Glenn.
Johnson said Rodgers helped him “so much” during the early stages of rehab. He used Rodgers’ Los Angeles-based surgeon and flew to the West Coast on a private jet that was arranged by Rodgers. Johnson was blown away when he learned that Rodgers had picked up the tab for the travel costs.
“The first thing he said was, ‘You’ll be good, you’ve got a 10-year-plus career. You’re all right, chalk it up,'” Johnson said. “It just kind of let me calm down a little bit and be able to gather myself, take it on the chin and handle it, and do a good job at it. So that’s how I’ve attacked it, and Aaron’s been a huge help.”
Johnson’s career was on the rise at the time of the injury. He recorded 7.5 sacks in 2023 and was named to the Pro Bowl as an injury replacement, but then he went down against the Tennessee Titans in Week 2. His anticipated return will be one of a few juicy storylines for the season opener.
Quarterback Justin Fields started six games for the Steelers last season, but he left as a free agent, taking a two-year, $40 million contract with the Jets. Fields versus Rodgers will be the first season-opening game in NFL history between starting quarterbacks who swapped teams they started for the previous year.
Rodgers was released by the Jets in March, and he wasn’t happy with the way Glenn handled the situation. He felt disrespected. Jets tight end Jeremy Ruckert said he expects Rodgers to have payback on his mind.
“Anybody that knows him knows that that’s going to be in the back of his mind, doing that,” Ruckert said of his former quarterback. “But he’s a Hall of Famer. He’s going to be ready to play. We’ve been around him for two years, and we know how he thinks and how he’s going to approach the game. So we’ll be ready. We’ll be excited to go against him.”
