PITTSBURGH — Jerricho Cotchery spent seven years playing for the New York Jets, the equivalent of a lifetime in other NFL cities.

The receiver ranks ninth in Jets history in career receptions and remains in the top 20 in yards receiving and touchdowns, though his contributions on the field might have been overshadowed by what he did off it as the steadying presence in the locker room for a franchise that yo-yoed from respectability to misery and back again between 2004-2010.

Yet ask Cotchery if Sunday will serve as a homecoming of sorts when he and the rest of the Pittsburgh Steelers (0-4) play at the Meadowlands and Cotchery just shakes his head.

“I’ve been adopted by the Steelers, man,” he said. “From Day 1, they embraced me and they made me feel like I’m a part of this family. I’m a Steeler.”

One with plenty of life left in his 31-year-old legs.

Lost amid Pittsburgh’s winless start is the solid play of a guy who figured to see his role diminished after the Steelers took Markus Wheaton in the third round of the NFL draft. If anything, the opposite has happened.

At an age when most receivers — even well-established ones — are starting to eye the finish line, Cotchery is enjoying a rebirth. Through four games, Cotchery already has more yards receiving (248) than he did in each of his first two years with the Steelers. Even more stunning is his 16.5 yards per reception, a full 4 yards above his career average.

Not bad for a guy considered a possession receiver, though Cotchery brushes off the notion he still needs to prove himself after a decade in the league.

“I don’t need anything else to motivate me,” Cotchery said. “I’m just hungry to get a championship and that’s been my approach.”

Even if the approach hasn’t exactly worked for Cotchery or his teammates. Pittsburgh is off to its worst start in 45 years, leading to a sense of unease in the locker room. Not with Cotchery, who is one of the few Steelers who knows what it’s like to endure a rough patch.