Prior to the start of the NFL season, the New York Jets were placed in the maximum six prime-time game slots and featured on the NFL Films and HBO Sports original series, Hard Knocks, largely due to the acquisition of star quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Now that Rodgers is likely out for the season recovering from a torn left Achilles, major television networks could be looking to move the Jets out of prime time positioning to a regular Sunday game slot on CBS or FOX. The Jets will be featured on Sunday Night Football on NBC this weekend against the Kansas City Chiefs, and will then have four more appearances across ESPN, NBC and Amazon Prime Video.
Flex scheduling can be used twice between Week 5 and 10, and at the discretion of the league during Week 11 until Week 17, as per previously agreed upon rules for Sunday Night Football. The Walt Disney Company’s Monday Night Football property can be used twice by the NFL from Week 12 to Week 17, marking the first time the property has had such an ability. Additionally, Thursday Night Football on Amazon Prime Video can be used up to two times between Weeks 13 and 17. Out of the Jets four remaining games in prime time, flex scheduling can be used three times. One of those occurrences would be for the league’s first Black Friday game on Friday, Nov. 24, 2023 when they face the Miami Dolphins.
“This prime time situation – if they don’t start flexing out all of these Jets games, I would be shocked,” Gregg Giannotti said Wednesday morning on WFAN. “There is no way in hell that some of these prime-time games that the Jets have coming up later in the season are actually going to stay there.”
Giannotti’s co-host, Boomer Esiason, implored him to wait and see what happens with the season rather than jumping to conclusions. “Gang Green” currently sits at 1-2 and are considered underdogs against Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs.
“I know what you’re doing – you don’t believe in Zach [Wilson]; I know that,” Esiason explained, “and you don’t believe their defense is good enough to win some games for them, which it obviously is. Depending on what week you’re looking at will determine whether or not they’re flexed.”
The show then proceeded to take a call as they searched the rules for flex scheduling, honing in on the Jets’ matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, Nov. 12 as a possibility. Since that game is in Week 9 and on Sunday Night Football, there is a possibility that NBC Sports may opt to change that game out for a more favorable matchup. The league will make the announcement no later than 12 days before kickoff pertaining to if the game has been moved or not.
