The 2024 NFL schedule will be released Wednesday night, but the league has announced a few premier matchups that will take place early in the year. On Tuesday, the NFL revealed that Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets would open up the season in California against Brock Purdy and the San Francisco 49ers on "Monday Night Football" Sept. 9.
This will be just Rodgers' second game as a Jet, as the four-time NFL MVP tore his Achilles on the first drive of the 2023 season against the Buffalo Bills, a matchup which also came on "Monday Night Football." Interestingly enough, the player who sacked Rodgers and ended his season, Leonard Floyd, is now a member of the 49ers.
This is a special matchup for Rodgers, who was a childhood fan of the 49ers -- until they passed on him in the 2005 NFL Draft.
"Not as disappointed as the 49ers will be that they didn't draft me," Rodgers responded when asked how disappointed he was after not getting selected by San Francisco.
Rodgers is 6-3 vs. the 49ers in the regular season, but 0-4 vs. San Francisco in the playoffs.
This will be Purdy's first game against the Jets, and his first time seeing Rodgers since his first-ever NFL game back in the 2022 preseason. Purdy did Rodgers' "discount double check" celebration after throwing a game-winning touchdown to Tanner Hudson.
"I was like, 'Dude, what are you doing?'" 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said, via ESPN. "You're a rookie. You can't be doing that. What are you talking s--- to Aaron? He is like, 'No, dude, I have no idea what happened. I was just excited and out there playing.' He has a passion to him and a competitiveness and it's real. And I think he had that right when he got here."
In Purdy's first full season as starter, he took the 49ers to the Super Bowl, where they fell to Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in overtime, 25-22. Purdy averaged 9.6 yards per pass attempt, which were the most in an NFL season all time, and threw for 4,280 total yards, which set a 49ers franchise record. Purdy became just the fifth quarterback all time to throw 30 passing touchdowns and for 4,000 yards in their first season as full-time starter.
