Jets to open 2024 NFL season on Monday Night Football at San Francisco 49ers
New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers warms up before playing against the Buffalo Bills on Sept. 11, 2023. Credit: AP/Adam Hunger
The Jets will open their season on Monday Night Football for the second straight year.
The NFL announced that the Jets will face the reigning NFC champion 49ers at San Francisco on Sept. 9 at 8:15 p.m. It will be Aaron Rodgers’ return after he tore his left Achilles tendon in last season’s Monday night opener.
That was an emotional night at MetLife Stadium as Rodgers ran out of the tunnel for his Jets’ debut on Sept. 11, 2023, carrying the American flag. Rodgers got injured on a sack on the Jets’ fourth offensive snap against the Buffalo Bills. Coincidentally, Leonard Floyd, who sacked Rodgers, signed with the 49ers in the offseason.
The Jets were projected to contend for a playoff spot, if not the Super Bowl, last year after acquiring Rodgers. They used four quarterbacks, struggled to score and finished with a 7-10 record.
The Jets have made some significant changes to the offense to better protect Rodgers and give him more playmakers.
They acquired offensive linemen Tyron Smith, Morgan Moses and John Simpson and drafted Penn State tackle Olu Fashanu in the first round. The Jets also signed big-play wide receiver Mike Williams and took Western Kentucky’s Malachi Corley, known for his ability to gain yards after the catch, with their third-round pick.
This will be a return of sorts for many on the Jets coaching staff, including Robert Saleh. He spent four seasons as the 49ers' defensive coordinator before he was hired by the Jets in 2021.
It’s a make-or-break year for Saleh and his coaching staff. If the Jets don’t make the playoffs, the expectation is they will be looking for a new coach after the season.
The NFL will release the entire 2024 season schedule on Wednesday.
Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.
