Aaron Rodgers Addresses Narrative of Packers-Steelers Being a 'Revenge Game' for Him
Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers will face his former team—the Packers—on Sunday Night Football for the first time since leaving the team after the 2022 season. Rodgers spent the first 18 years of his NFL career with Green Bay, and it was believed he would retire in the green and gold.
However, the quarterback ended up traded to the Jets. The two parties didn't seem to part on the best of terms because their partnership came to an end. So, heading into this weekend's matchup now on the Steelers, how does Rodgers feel about the Packers? It seems his opinions have softened as of late.
“I don’t have any animosity toward the organization,” Rodgers said via ESPN's Brooke Pryor. “Obviously, I wish that things had been better in our last year there, but I have a great relationship with a lot of people still in that organization. This is not a revenge game for me. I’m just excited to see some of those guys and be on
Aaron Rodgers says he doesn’t view Sunday against the Packers as a “revenge game.”
“There’s no animosity toward the organization. Obviously I wish things had been better in our last year there.”
Rodgers said he saw the “writing on the wall” when the org drafted Jordan Love. pic.twitter.com/yRGBfxI6qo — Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) October 22, 2025
When asked if time is what helped heal his feelings about his former organization, Rodgers replied by saying "absence makes the heart grow fonder, maybe."
Even though Rodgers doesn't consider the matchup to be a "revenge game," it would still be huge for him to beat his former team.
Rodgers already faced a former team of his to start the season when Pittsburgh played New York in Week 1. The 41-year-old downplayed the reunion game then, but doesn't necessarily seem to be doing that heading into the Green Bay matchup.
Vikings Accused of Overplaying JJ McCarthy’s Injury, Benching Him on Purpose
The Minnesota Vikings will hold second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy out of the starting lineup for the fifth consecutive game when the team takes on the Los Angeles Chargers on “Thursday Night Football,” and one prominent sports doctor is calling foul on the play.
Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell announced on Tuesday that Carson Wentz will start, undrafted rookie Max Brosmer will be the QB2 and McCarthy will again serve as the third-string/emergency quarterback.
On Wednesday, Dr. David J. Chao of Sirius XM and Fox Sports Radio asserted that O’Connell’s decision is a clear indication that Minnesota brass is choosing to sit McCarthy, even though he is healthy enough to play.
“Proof positive that [McCarthy] is healthy enough to play. Not saying he is 100%, but no way [O’Connell] would make him emergency QB for 2nd straight week otherwise,” Chao posted to X. “All I am saying is [Patrick Mahomes] won a [Super Bowl] playing thru high ankle sprain, and right now JJ is not [Mahomes], which makes this a ‘coaching decision.'”
J.J. McCarthy Has Been Out Long Time Considering Relative Seriousness of Ankle Injury
GettyQuarterback J.J. McCarthy of the Minnesota Vikings.
McCarthy injured his ankle against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 2, during a game played on September 14. Thus, when the Vikings take the field on Thursday night, the 22-year-old quarterback will be nearly six weeks removed from the ankle sprain.
It isn’t completely unheard of that teams will hold out players with severe ankle sprains for several weeks, but a full seven weeks will have passed before Minnesota plays the Detroit Lions on ten days rest following its Thursday night matchup with the Chargers on October 23.
Many players who suffer moderate-to-severe hamstring strains, or even broken bones, can typically return in that amount of time, or something close to it, which is potentially cause for the raising of a few eyebrows with regards to the Vikings’ QB situation.
Wentz is 2-2 over his four starts this season, throwing for 1,072 yards on a 67 percent completion rate for five TDs and four INTs. He is also battling an injury to his non-throwing (left) shoulder. Meanwhile, McCarthy is 1-1 and has thrown for 301 yards, two TDs and three INTS on 58.5 percent passing this year.
Vikings Potential Trade Partners for Falcons QB Kirk Cousins
GettyAtlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins.
If the Vikings could be starting McCarthy and aren’t, that raises serious questions about his future as the team’s franchise quarterback.
Multiple entities have already floated the possibility that Minnesota might explore a trade for Kirk Cousins of the Atlanta Falcons in the coming weeks, ahead of the league’s November 4 deadline to execute such transactions.
Doing so would essentially be the Vikings admitting that they made two serious mistakes by letting Sam Darnold leave for the Seattle Seahawks (5-2) and Daniel Jones depart for the Indianapolis Colts (6-1) in free agency.
Perhaps O’Connell and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah are loathe to do so at this point, as it could impact McCarthy’s confidence moving forward. However, if McCarthy knows he can play now and the team isn’t letting him, those circumstances may already be producing a negative impact on McCarthy’s psyche.
How the Vikings handle the next couple of weeks before the trade deadline will be telling, particularly if Wentz struggles or suffers further injury against the Chargers or Lions. If Brosmer starts over McCarthy and/or if Minnesota decides to trade for a veteran QB like Cousins, things could be much worse for McCarthy than they currently appear.
