EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Aaron Rodgers began his day saying hello to old friends from the New York Jets, many of them, notably, from the defense. In his early warmup, he threw to a familiar face -- Karen Patel, who Rodgers used to throw to when he was with the Jets and Patel worked for New York's equipment team. Patel was at MetLife to work the visitors' locker room on Sunday, and Rodgers said he wished the team would rehire him.

Rodgers' path to the visitors' locker room had taken up much of the oxygen of the offseason, from the news that broke on Super Bowl Sunday that the Jets no longer wanted him to the monthslong will-he-or-won't-he vigil that hopscotched across multiple quarterback-desperate teams until he finally landed on Pittsburgh , where he has settled into a comfortable

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