NFL Exec: Aaron Rodgers, Jets 'Kind of Owe Us One' with Primetime Games on Schedule

The New York Jets landed a record six prime-time games over the first three months of the 2024 season, and the league admitted that the return of star quarterback Aaron Rodgers is the primary reason.

"Yes, it's an awful lot of prime-time games early in the season, but, obviously, I feel like Jets kind of owe us one," Mike North, the NFL's vice president of broadcast planning, said on a video conference on Thursday, referring to Rodgers missing the entirety of the 2023 season, per ESPN's Rich Cimini.

The league attempted to capitalize on Rodgers' arrival in New York last season by scheduling the Jets for five prime-time games. Unfortunately, things went awry when the four-time NFL MVP tore his Achilles four plays into the team's season opener on Monday Night Football.

Still, the league decided to double down on the Jets by scheduling them for six prime-time games over the first 11 weeks of the season, the most of any team since the 1970 merger.

"When we had this conversation a year ago, we were -- all of us -- all-in on the Jets, and for that guy to last four plays was disheartening for many of us," North said. "I feel like we could run it back, and certainly our broadcast partners, when they came to us early in the process talking about what storylines they want to focus on early in the season, obviously Aaron Rodgers' return was a key one for everybody."

The Jets finished the 2023 season with a 7-10 record and missed the playoffs for the 13th straight year, the longest active streak in the NFL, NBA, NHL or MLB. North described the team as "feisty" even without Rodgers to further defend the league's decision.

Rodgers is participating in offseason drills with no restrictions and is expected to be ready for the start of the 2024 season. The Jets will face the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football. North said the team could get even more prime-time games later in the season due to flex scheduling, but it all hinges on Rodgers' health.

"Hopefully, he stays healthy and, hopefully, they're relevant," North said.