5 things to know about the Jets: Prime-time reunion in the cards for a franchise in flux

Cameron Hoover / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The Steelers return home to face the Jets on “Sunday Night Football” at Acrisure Stadium. Here are five things to know about the AFC East opponent:

A New York state of flux

After a 23-17 Week 5 loss to the Vikings at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, the Jets fired head coach Robert Saleh and promoted defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich to fill the void on an interim basis. Saleh didn’t have a great record with New York — 20-36 over three seasons and five games — but his firing still sent shockwaves throughout the NFL and throughout the team’s locker room. Saleh was well-liked by his players and inherited a terrible situation with the Jets, who went 2-14 in 2020 before Saleh took over for Adam Gase. Saleh was the 49ers defensive coordinator from 2017-20 and filled various assistant coach roles on the defensive side of the ball with the Jaguars, Seahawks and Texans before that, so he tried to get the Jets back to national prominence on that side of the ball. Saleh went 7-10 over each of the past two seasons. That’s probably sufficient when you’re saddled with a horrible roster, but his expectations also ballooned as the players around Saleh improved. Owner Woody Johnson decided to take the team in a new direction.

Aaron Rodgers is still kicking

It’s been 13 years since Aaron Rodgers beat the Steelers in Super Bowl XLV, but he’s 40 years old and still slinging it for the Jets, though he’s having a rocky tenure in New York. Rodgers famously ruptured his Achilles tendon on just the fourth snap from scrimmage in his Jets debut and missed the entire 2023 season from then on out. Now, he’s as healthy as a 40-year-old football player can be and is having an up-and-down campaign. He threw three interceptions in the game that got his head coach fired in London, but he looked much better on “Monday Night Football” last night vs. the Bills. Rodgers finished that game 23 for 35 with 294 yards and two touchdowns through the air with a late interception. Rumors swirled about Rodgers’ role in Saleh’s firing after various spats on the sidelines and other evidence of a rift. Still, the four-time MVP denies he knew anything about the decision. Still, though, that particular excuse has expired. It’s time to see if Rodgers’ squad can get it done in the world’s largest media market.

Two stellar young weapons

The Jets have a pair of exciting, young skill-position players lighting up the NFL in running back Breece Hall and wide receiver Garrett Wilson. Hall, a former second-round pick out of Iowa State, is a threat in both the run and pass game for New York. He burst onto the scene last season with 1,585 yards from scrimmage and nine total touchdowns, and Hall has carried that momentum into this year. He had his best game of the season Monday night against Buffalo, carrying 18 times for 113 yards on the ground and catching five passes for 56 more yards. The 24-year-old Wilson has already started building a rapport with Rodgers. Wilson is already second in the league with 41 receptions and has found paydirt three times. Wilson had eight catches for 107 yards and a score Monday night, too. It marked the first time since Week 5 of 2018 that the Jets had a 100-yard rusher and receiver in the same game — Isaiah Crowell and Robbie Chosen (then known as Robbie Anderson) against the Broncos.

Welcome Davante Adams

Rodgers will be reconnecting with an old friend, as reports surfaced Tuesday morning that star receiver Davante Adams was traded from the Las Vegas Raiders to the Jets. Adams and Rodgers starred together for eight seasons in Green Bay. It’s a cruel irony, of course, that Adams’ first game in his new colors could come against the Steelers — the team that was reportedly also interested in striking a deal for his services. Adams has been working his way back from a hamstring injury — he didn’t play for the Raiders in last week’s game against Pittsburgh — but if he’s in the lineup, it adds another proven outlet for Rodgers and another headache for the Steelers secondary.

Lost in the Sauce

One matchup to watch on the outside will be George Pickens going against Jets star cornerback Sauce Gardner. The Jets took Gardner fourth overall in the 2022 NFL draft out of Cincinnati, and while he still hasn’t recorded an interception this season, he’s known around the league for his prowess as a shutdown corner. Pickens has had a bumpy couple of weeks, not factoring much into the offense and acting out of frustration. Gardner has a penchant for trash talk and, with the Steelers not having a solid No. 2 option, could turn his focus to getting in Pickens’ head.