PITTSBURGH — When the Steelers went to Lambeau Field in 2005 to face Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers, several Steelers players, including Hines Ward and Charlie Batch, brought jerseys and pictures to get signed by the NFL ironman who was the league's all-time leading passer, thinking they might never see him again.

Four years later, at age 40, Favre came to Heinz Field for the first time in 11 years with the Minnesota Vikings. It was the 19th of his 20 NFL seasons. It would be his 276th consecutive start, longest in league history.

Ben Roethlisberger, who had never met Favre, said he was hoping to swap jerseys with one of the quarterbacks he grew up idolizing as a kid. Such was the iconic stature of the former Packers star.

Like Favre, the player he replaced in Green Bay, Aaron Rodgers will one day be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Like Favre, he will make a long-awaited return to Pittsburgh for the first time in 15 years when the Steelers play the New York Jets on Sunday night. And, like Favre in 2009, he is 40.

The adulation won't be the same. But the moment is still to be appreciated.

That's because the game will feature two future Hall of Fame quarterbacks facing each other on the same field, something that doesn't happen very often at Acrisure Stadium: Rodgers and Russell Wilson, who is expected to make his Steelers debut.

It happens infrequently.

The last time it occurred here was 2018, when Roethlisberger and New England's Tom Brady met for the second year in a row.

Drew Brees squared off twice with Roethlisberger when he was with the New Orleans Saints, the last time in 2014.

And Rodgers and Roethlisberger dueled in a 2009 classic — a 37-36 Steelers victory that was decided on the final play in what might be the most exciting game ever played at Acrisure Stadium.

Fifteen years later, Rodgers returns to the scene of the crime. And it doesn't appear his skills have eroded at all.

"He has maybe the quickest release I've ever seen on a quarterback," said defensive coordinator Teryl Austin, who used to face Rodgers twice a year when he was defensive coordinator for four years with the Detroit Lions. "He can flick the ball and it can go a long way. And he's very accurate. His accuracy is unbelievable."

Rodgers ranks ninth in passing yards (60,442), fifth in touchdowns (484) and sixth in victories (150) on the league's all-time list. Wilson, who has played seven fewer seasons that Rodgers, is 19th in yards passing (43,653), 13th in touchdowns (334) and 15th in (110).

Each has a Super Bowl victory. Wilson has two more Pro Bowl selections. They are each on their way to Canton, Ohio.

"He's a tremendous quarterback, obviously, a Hall of Fame quarterback, a guy who's been in the league for a long time," Wilson said the other day. "I really respect how he throws the football. It's pretty special to watch."

Rodgers might be the league's all-time leader in two other categories.

In the season opener against the San Francisco 49ers, he threw a 36-yard touchdown to receiver Alan Lazard on a free play when the 49ers jumped offside. It was the 18th career touchdown Rodgers has thrown on a free play.

In Monday night's loss to the Buffalo Bills, Rodgers threw a Hail Mary pass at the end of the half that Lazard caught for a 52-yard touchdown — the fourth time Rodgers has connected for a touchdown on a Hail Mary pass.

"He's just a guy who has full autonomy at the line of scrimmage," said outside linebacker T.J. Watt. "He takes the play-clock down, he tries to uncover what the defense is doing. He just has full control so he can check into whatever he has to."

"He's a really fast decision-maker," safety Minkah Fitzpatrick said. "He's the best decision-maker we've seen in a long time."

Acrisure Stadium has been the site of four matchups between future Hall of Fame quarterbacks since the last time Rodgers was in Pittsburgh. Here they are:

— Dec. 20, 2009 — Rodgers threw for 383 yards and three touchdowns, but he was out-dueled by Roethlisberger, who passed for 503 yards and three touchdowns, including the 19-yard winner to Mike Wallace with no time remaining to give the Steelers a 37-36 victory.

— Nov. 30, 2014 — In his last appearance in Pittsburgh, Drew Brees threw five touchdowns and got the best of Roethlisberger, who threw for 435 yards and two touchdowns, in the Saints' 35-32 victory.

— Dec. 17, 2017 — Tom Brady passed for 298 yards and one touchdown in New England's 27-24 victory, but the game is remembered for replay over-turning the Jesse James "no-catch" touchdown in the final 30 seconds. The Patriots scored 10 points in the final 3:56, including the winning touchdown with 56 seconds remaining that was set up with three consecutive completions to tight end Rob Gronkowski for 69 yards.

— Dec. 16, 2018 — Roethlisberger threw two touchdowns in the first half and passed for 235 yards to beat the Patriots, 17-10 — New England's last loss before going on to win the Super Bowl.

This will be the eighth time Rodgers and Wilson meet in the regular season. Rodgers has won four times, passed for more yards (1,842 to 1,311) and has a better passer rating (99.5 to 74.1) in those meetings. Each has thrown nine touchdowns. Wilson has run for more yards in those meetings (233 to 66).

It could be worth appreciating.

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