Advertisement

49ers to kick off regular season with primetime bout vs. Aaron Rodgers, Jets

The Niners will be at home in Week 1 for the first time in a while, and it'll be a primetime showdown against an old "friend."
Peter Panacy
Peter Panacy

Niner Noise

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) / Ryan Kang/GettyImages

The 49ers will face off against an old rival, Aaron Rodgers, when he and the Jets come to down for a Week 1 Monday Night Football showdown.

We now know one game, officially, of the San Francisco 49ers' upcoming 2024 regular-season schedule.

Still 16 more to determine, and those won't be officially announced until Wednesday, May 15 at 8 p.m. ET.

A day before the official schedule release, the league passed along news of the opening Monday Night Football game for Week 1.

And, wouldn't you know, it'll feature the Niners at home at Levi's Stadium versus one of their longtime rivals, quarterback Aaron Rodgers, and the New York Jets.

Rodgers, who spent all but last season of his pro career with the Green Bay Packers, suffered a season-ending Achilles tear in Week 1 for Gang Green in 2023, all but derailing head coach Robert Saleh's bid to be a legitimate conference contender.

Of course, with Saleh also in the picture, it'll be good for San Francisco to see its former defensive coordinator, too.

ESPN will broadcast the Monday night tilt from Santa Clara, which will kick off on Sept. 8 at 8:20 p.m.

In nine regular-season games, Rodgers is 6-3 against the team for which he grew up rooting. However, the 49ers have had Rodgers' number in postseason play, eliminating his former Packers team all four times they've faced each other in the playoffs.

Amid an entirely different context, the Niners will seek a chance to go 1-0 on the season while frustrating Rodgers' attempt to win his first game after last year's injury.

Read more from Niner Noise

Peter Panacy

Peter Panacy

Peter Panacy is a widely published writer, starting with Bleacher Report in 2011 and becoming their 49ers lead columnist, then joining Niner Noise in 2015. He has had exclusive interviews with Hall of Famers Steve Young and Jerry Rice, as well as current players George Kittle, Kyle Juszczyk and Richard Sherman. He has also made appearances on multiple radio stations, including the Bay Area's 95.7 The Game and the Bay Area's KNBR 680.