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Adam Schefter, ESPN Senior Writer
New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers has a clear path to play a game in Green Bay next season, regardless of whether he returns in 2023.
In a scheduling happenstance the TV networks and fans will love, the Jets’ 2024 schedule includes a road game at the NFC North team that finishes in the same place in its division, putting them on a potential collision course to play the Packers at Lambeau Field.
The Jets (4-7) are third in the AFC East, two wins behind the second-place Bills (6-5) and two wins ahead of the last-place Patriots (2-8).
The surging Packers (5-6) have won three of their past four contests but remain third in the NFC North, one win behind the second-place Vikings (6-5) and two wins ahead of the last-place Bears (3-8).
While the talk in recent weeks has focused on when Rodgers might be able to return this season from the torn Achilles that he suffered on the fourth play of the Jets’ regular-season opener, there also now is some intrigue about where he will play next season.
A Rodgers return to Lambeau Field would be a scenario that would have networks lobbying the NFL to be able to broadcast that game, and it would be expected to drive up the ticket market that day for a seat to see the return of the Packers’ former legendary quarterback.
The Jets’ 2024 opponents for home games are the Bills, Dolphins, Patriots, Texans, Colts, Rams, Seahawks and the AFC West team that finishes in the same spot as they do. Their road games are at Buffalo, Miami, New England, Jacksonville, Tennessee, Arizona, San Francisco and the AFC North and NFC North teams that finish in the same spot in their respective divisions.
Rodgers, who turns 40 next week, was a 10-time Pro Bowler and four-time league MVP during his 18-year run with the Packers, winning a Super Bowl and reaching another one during that stretch. He said “I definitely still want to come back” during an interview earlier this month with “The Pat McAfee Show” and reiterated that he is targeting a mid-December return, which would be about three months removed from Achilles surgery.