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After the Pittsburgh Steelers won the AFC North, NFL Films cameras caught Aaron Rodgers and Mike Tomlin thanking each other for the quarterback joining the Steelers in his 21st season.
It’s clear that Rodgers has enjoyed his time in Pittsburgh – after making the playoffs himself for the first time in four years, how could he not?
Asked what he likes about the Steelers organization, Rodgers took a not-so-subtle shot at his last team, the New York Jets.
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Aaron Rodgers of the Pittsburgh Steelers celebrates after an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens at Acrisure Stadium on January 4, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Michael Owens/Getty Images)
“One thing I really love, and it’s kind of the opposite of where I was — there’s not really any leaks in the boat,” Rodgers told reporters this week. “Every year you have hardships and adversity, both on and off the field, and to go through a season like this and be able to focus on football and not have a bunch of other little bulls — out there has been really nice.”
During his time with the Jets, Rodgers was adamant that media leaks were a “problem with the organization.”
“There is no place in a winning culture (for this),” Rodgers said on a December 2023 edition of “The Pat McAfee Show.”
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) passes during the first half of an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025. (Matt Freed/AP Photo)
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“They’re not your friends. And even if they are, is that really what you’re going to be about? You’re going to be about using someone in the media to leak things to, in order, for what, to get them to put your name out there for a job, or if you’re a player to get you a write-up? I think it’s chicken— at its core, and I think there’s no point in standing behind an organization and your name….”
After the 2023 season, which Rodgers missed almost all of with a torn Achilles on the Jets’ fourth offensive play of the year, Rodgers said the team needed to get “the bulls — it has nothing to do with winning … out of the building.”
“If you want to be a winning organization and put yourself in a position to win championships and be competitive, everything you do matters,” Rodgers told reporters in January 2024.
The Jets decided to move on from Rodgers while hiring first-year head coach Aaron Glenn, and it looks like Rodgers is having the last laugh.
Pittsburgh Steelers’ Aaron Rodgers reacts after a touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions in Detroit, Michigan on Dec. 21, 2025. (Rey Del Rio/AP Photo)
Rodgers is in the playoffs while the Jets lost 14 games for the third time in franchise history. Gang Green also became the first team in NFL history to go an entire season without recording an interception. They finished the year losing each of their last five games by 23 or more points – a feat never seen before.
