Aaron Rodgers will make his New York Jets debut in primetime to open the 2023 season.
Rodgers and the Jets will host the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football on Sept. 11, 2023, the NFL announced Thursday morning. The game will kickoff at 8:15 p.m. and will be televised by ESPN.
Rodgers will be facing off against another elite quarterback in Josh Allen. Allen and the Bills have made the playoffs each of the past four seasons. Allen has also been named to a pair of Pro Bowls during his first five NFL seasons.
While Allen is still proving himself to be one of the best quarterbacks in the league, all eyes will be on Rodgers that Monday night. Rodgers is entering his first season with the Jets after an incredible run with the Packers. The four-time MVP was traded to the Jets this offseason.
In total, Rodgers spent 18 seasons in Green Bay, winning one Super Bowl with the Packers. In addition to being a four-time MVP, Rodgers has also been named first-team All-Pro four times.
The game won’t just feature star power at quarterback. It also includes one of the top receivers in the league in Bills wideout Stefon Diggs. The former Maryland star had one of the best years of his career in 2022, finishing with 108 catches for 1,429 yards and 11 touchdowns.
On the other side, the Jets have one of the top cornerbacks in the NFL in Sauce Gardner. As a rookie in 2022, Gardner was named first-team All-Pro. He was also named the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year last season.
Aaron Rodgers says his time with the New York Jets has been a dream so far
After asking to be traded to the Jets this offseason and eventually arriving in New York, Rodgers said he loves being a Jet thus far.
Making his weekly appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” last week, the four-time NFL MVP opened up on his one-week tenure with the Jets, saying he feels “energized.”
“Everything’s new and exciting and fun. I’m just pinching myself a lot of days. I can’t believe it’s real sometimes,” Rodgers said. “It’s been a dream, for sure, just to be here. Definitely feel energized to be in the building.”
Rodgers, 39, has wasted no time getting to work with his new team. He was on the practice field Monday throwing passes to Jets receivers such as second-year wideout Garrett Wilson. Wilson, the Jets’ 2022 first-round pick, hauled in 83 receptions for 1,103 yards and four touchdowns this past season. He took home Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.
He’ll serve as the main target in 2023 for Rodgers, who heaped praise on the young wideout. Rodgers went as far to say that Wilson reminds him of Davante Adams.
“Obviously Garrett, he’s a talented guy. I threw him a pass today and just kind of turned and was like, ‘Wow.’ His ability to kind of get in and out of his breaks,” Rodgers said. “There’s another 17 I played with for a long time who does it better than anybody, but the explosiveness in and out of the breaks to 17 here is pretty similar.”
