The Pittsburgh Steelers will reportedly face the New York Jets on the road to open their 2025 NFL season, according to credible schedule-leaker account @OzzyNFL. It’s yet another year in which Pittsburgh is beginning their year away from home but a contest that creates tons of storylines.
A time has not been officially leaked but the primetime slots for Week One appear to already be spoken for, suggesting this game will take place in the afternoon.
The NFL Nerd Twitter/X account, another well-known schedule-leaking platform, tweeted the same news.
It’s the first time in history the Steelers and Jets will have played in Week 1. The earliest matchup between the two franchises previously came in Week 2 in matchups from the 1984, 1992, and 2012 seasons. Pittsburgh won all three games.
Quarterback will be the top story of the day. For the Jets, Justin Fields will face his former team in the Steelers. Pittsburgh traded for Fields ahead of the 2024 season and thanks to Russell Wilson’s calf injury, Fields started the first six games of the Steelers’ season. Wilson replaced him in Week 7, a game against the Jets, and remained the team’s starter the rest of the season. Pittsburgh went on to beat New York 37-15. Wilson threw for a pair of touchdowns while Aaron Rodgers was picked off twice by Steelers’ rookie CB Beanie Bishop Jr.
Though Pittsburgh attempted to re-sign Fields, he signed a two-year, $40 million deal with the Jets instead. Reportedly, New York offered a more lucrative contract and Fields cited a good relationship with new head coach Aaron Glenn as a key reason why he signed with the Jets.
Presumably, Pittsburgh will start Aaron Rodgers at quarterback. Though not official, the expectation is Rodgers will eventually sign with the Steelers. If so, he’ll face a Jets’ team he spent the 2023 and 2024 seasons with. Rodgers missed nearly all of 2023 with a torn Achilles while New York struggled in 2024, winning just five games and cleaning house during and after the season.
In his lone offseason interview on the Pat McAfee Show, Rodgers ripped the Jets’ new regime for their short exit meeting with Rodgers after he flew from California to the team facility to meet with the team and discuss his future.
Pittsburgh starting on the road is an expected outcome with the Pittsburgh Pirates playing at home that Sunday. Though the Pirates won’t likely be a large draw that time of year, the NFL has admitted they prefer not to double-up the Steelers and Pirates on the same day. The close proximity of the stadiums creates logistical challenges not just for parking but security for both events.
In the Mike Tomlin era that began in 2007, Pittsburgh has opened the season on the road now 13 times. They’ve only been at home six times and just once since 2015, a 2023 opener against the San Francisco 49ers.
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