8 months ago
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Rich CiminiJun 10, 2025, 05:03 PM ET
- Rich Cimini is simply a unit writer who covers the New York Jets and the NFL astatine ESPN. Rich has covered the Jets for implicit 30 years, joining ESPN successful 2010. Rich besides hosts the Flight Deck podcast. He antecedently was a bushed writer for the New York Daily News and is simply a postgraduate of Syracuse University.
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- New York Jets antiaircraft extremity Jermaine Johnson volition marque his long-awaited instrumentality from Achilles country against idiosyncratic who knows that feeling -- erstwhile teammate Aaron Rodgers, the caller backmost for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Jets and Steelers play successful Week 1 astatine MetLife Stadium, a matchup affluent successful revenge angles. Johnson said helium and Rodgers were texting each different connected Monday night.
"Obviously, I'm excited, he's excited," Johnson said Tuesday astatine minicamp. "It was a pleasance having him astir and worldly similar that and I privation him the best, but erstwhile I get betwixt those lines, there's nary friends.
"I deliberation helium knows that, and helium feels the aforesaid stuff. I'm excited. It's conscionable different game, but for maine it's going to beryllium my archetypal crippled back. There volition beryllium a batch of emotions and, erstwhile my emotions are high, I thin to play beauteous well."
Johnson ruptured his close Achilles past play successful Week 2, conscionable astir 1 twelvemonth to the time aft Rodgers ruptured his near Achilles successful his archetypal crippled for the Jets. Johnson, a 2022 first-round pick, isn't participating successful minicamp and could statesman grooming campy connected the physically-unable-to-perform list, but he's expected for the regular season, according to manager Aaron Glenn.
Johnson said Rodgers helped him "so much" during the aboriginal stages of rehab. He utilized Rodgers' Los Angeles-based surgeon and flew to the West Coast connected a backstage pitchy that was arranged by Rodgers. Johnson was blown distant erstwhile helium learned that Rodgers had picked up the tab for the question costs.
"The archetypal happening helium said was, 'You'll beryllium good, you've got a 10-year-plus career. You're each right, chalk it up,'" Johnson said. "It conscionable benignant of fto maine calm down a small spot and beryllium capable to stitchery myself, instrumentality it connected the chin and grip it, and bash a bully occupation astatine it. So that's however I've attacked it and Aaron's been a immense help."
Johnson's vocation was connected the emergence astatine the clip of the injury. He recorded 7.5 sacks successful 2023 and was named to the Pro Bowl arsenic an wounded replacement, but past helium went down against the Tennessee Titans successful Week 2. His anticipated instrumentality volition beryllium 1 of a fewer juicy storylines for the play opener.
Quarterback Justin Fields started six games for the Steelers past season, but helium near arsenic a escaped agent, taking a two-year, $40 cardinal declaration with the Jets. Fields versus Rodgers volition beryllium the archetypal season-opening crippled successful NFL past betwixt starting quarterbacks who swapped teams they started for the erstwhile year.
Rodgers was released by the Jets successful March, and helium wasn't blessed with the mode Glenn handled the situation. He felt disrespected. Jets choky extremity Jeremy Ruckert said helium expects Rodgers to person payback connected his mind.
"Anybody that knows him knows that that's going to beryllium his successful the backmost of his mind, doing that," Ruckert said of his erstwhile quarterback. "But he's a Hall of Famer. He's going to beryllium acceptable to play. We've been astir him for 2 years and we cognize however helium thinks and however he's going to attack the game. So we'll beryllium ready. We'll beryllium excited to spell against him."
