FOXBOROUGH, MA – JANUARY 03: Sam Darnold #14 of the New York Jets passes the ball against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on January 3, 2021 in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
The people who do the NFL schedules have a sense of humor.
The New York Jets, fresh off trading quarterback Sam Darnold to the Carolina Panthers, will open the 2021 seeason on the road at ... Carolina, the team said Wednesday.
"This should be fun," the Jets tweeted.
It's likely to be the NFL debut for Darnold's replacement, former BYU quarterback Zach Wilson, who the Jets drafted last month with the No. 2 pick. (Darnold was the No. 3 pick in 2018.)
Get Tri-state area news delivered to your inbox.> Sign up for NBC New York's News Headlines newsletter.
The Sept. 12 game will also be the head-coaching debut for new Jets leader Robert Saleh.
The rest of the team's schedule will be released Wednesday night.
