The NFL's regular season schedule is annually released in May, and it could happen within the next couple of weeks.
After an impressive offseason roster renovation, the Jets veterans have begun Phase 2 of their offseason voluntary program while the rookie class and a handful of first-year players will participate in rookie minicamp this weekend at 1 Jets Drive. The offseason is picking up steam with OTAs (May 27-June 11) and mandatory minicamp (June 16-18) on deck. Then it's training camp and the regular season. We've known the matchups for months, but we'll get the exact dates soon. Some thoughts. …
The Opener
Last season, the Jets started with consecutive home games — against Pittsburgh in Week 1 and Buffalo in Week 2. In three of the past four seasons, the Jets have opened their season at MetLife Stadium. Will the Jets start on the road? If so, there are three games that stand out -- Tennessee, Kansas City and Buffalo. The Jets facing HC Robert Saleh and several former Jets adds some interest to a game that also will feature 2025 No. 1 overall selection in QB Cam Ward and 2026 No. 2 overall selection David Bailey. Patrick Mahomes is said to be way ahead of schedule in his return to action, but NFL vice president of broadcast planning Mike North said on the "It's Always Game Day in Buffalo" podcast that the league wouldn't feel great if the Chiefs were on in primetime and Mahomes was not in the lineup. Throw into the mix that Justin Fields, who started the Jets' 2025 opener against the Steelers, is the Chiefs backup and it's not a stretch to think the Jets open up at the Chiefs at 1 p.m. on Sept. 13. And then that leads us to the Bills. …
A Must
The Jets closed their 2025 season at Buffalo. In 2024, they lined up in Western New York against the Bills on Dec. 29. When you consider the Jets closed their 2021-22 season in Buffalo on Jan. 9 and they matched up in Western New York on Dec. 11, 2022, that's four of the past five years the Jets have traveled to Orchard Park, NY, in either December or January. The outlier was a pre-Thanksgiving Nov. 19 date in 2023. I think the Jets should play at Buffalo early this season and the Bills want a primetime game to kick off their new Highmark Stadium. Could that be a Week 1 or Week 2 matchup against the Jets? The more you think about it, the more it makes sense.
Primetime Matchups
When the schedule was released last year, the Jets were slated to have 13 kickoffs at 1 p.m. Eastern, including all eight home games at MetLife Stadium. After having two primetime road matchups — against Miami (Week 4, "Monday Night Football") and New England (Week 11, "Thursday Night Football"), the Jets would figure to be in the same range again. The Raiders and Jets at MetLife would be an interesting Thursday night pairing as the league could pit Fernando Mendoza, the No. 1 overall pick in the draft against Geno Smith, the Raiders' 2025 starter, under the lights. The Silver & Black remain a national brand and the Jets have the New York market, plus both clubs were praised for their offseason approaches.
Look West
The roundtrip trek from Newark (EWR) to Phoenix (PHX) is approximately 4,280 miles while the journey from Newark (EWR) to Los Angeles (LAX) is roughly 4,500 miles. The Jets' dates with the Cardinals in the desert and the Chargers in SoCal are their two longest trips on the slate. Where will those matchups pop up and will they be closely aligned on the calendar?
International and Three
The Jets played three consecutive games last season when they were the designated "home" team. A date with the Broncos in North London at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was sandwiched in between Week 5 and Week 7 contests against the Cowboys and the Panthers at MetLife Stadium. The Jets also had three consecutive home games in the 2023 slate, but they haven't had three consecutive road games since 2011.
After playing in London at Tottenham as the visiting team vs. the Vikings and then as host club vs. the Broncos the past two seasons, all 17 Jets games will be stateside unless the Green & White are selected to face the Detroit Lions at Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany. The Detroit Free Press reported in April that the Lions are most likely to face the Giants, the Patriots or the Buccaneers in Munich because those three clubs have international marketing rights in Germany.
The Close
Eight of the past nine seasons, the Jets have finished the regular season on the road against an AFC East opponent — the Dolphins were the only outlier in 2024. It takes thousands of scenarios to come up with a 272-game schedule, and the league is always looking to drive engagement, drive viewership and drive revenue while also striving for competitive balance with many other considerations including player health and safety and travel. Maybe this year's final schedule has the Jets ending the season at home against the Patriots or the Bills?
