The New York Jets' 2021 schedule, released by the NFL Wednesday night, is a bundle of firsts in franchise history mixed in alongside those familiar touchstones that pop up in every schedule every year.
The unique scheduling wrinkles begin with opening day on Sunday, Sept. 12. The Jets' first game of head coach Robert Saleh's tenure comes at the Carolina Panthers, to whom the Jets traded Sam Darnold in April. Thus the game sets up a potential QB matchup of the third overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft — Darnold — against the second pick of this year's draft — Zach Wilson — right from the jump.