Jets DE Johnson set for Week 1 return, eager to face Rodgers - ESPN

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — New York Jets defensive end Jermaine Johnson will make his long-awaited return from Achilles surgery against someone who knows that feeling — former teammate Aaron Rodgers, the new quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Jets and Steelers play in Week 1 at MetLife Stadium, a matchup rich in revenge angles. Johnson said he and Rodgers were texting each other Monday night.

«Obviously, I'm excited, he's excited,» Johnson said Tuesday at minicamp. «It was a pleasure having him around and stuff like that and I wish him the best, but when I get between those lines, there's no friends.

»I think he knows that, and he feels the same stuff. I'm excited. It's just another game, but for me it's going to be my first game back. There will be a lot of emotions, and when my emotions are high, I tend to play pretty well."

Johnson ruptured his right Achilles last season in Week 2, just about one year to the day after Rodgers ruptured his left Achilles in his first game for the Jets. Johnson, a 2022 first-round pick, isn't participating in minicamp and could begin training camp on the physically unable to perform list, but he's expected for the regular season, according to coach Aaron Glenn.

Johnson said Rodgers helped him «so much» during the early stages of rehab. He used Rodgers' Los Angeles-based surgeon and flew to the West Coast on a private jet that was arranged by Rodgers. Johnson was blown away when he learned that Rodgers had picked up the tab for the travel costs.

«The first thing he said was, 'You'll be good, you've got a 10-year-plus career. You're all right, chalk it up,'» Johnson said. «It just kind of let me calm down a little bit and be able to gather myself, take it on the chin and handle it, and