The Jets might have opened the season in prime time for the third consecutive year if Aaron Rodgers had already signed with the Steelers.

Mike North, the NFL Vice President of Broadcast Planning, said during a video conference call Thursday that the Jets-Steelers Week 1 matchup might not have been a 1 p.m. start if it was official that Rodgers was facing his old team.

“Look, I think if we knew for certain that Aaron was going to be the quarterback of the Steelers, we might have done something a little different in Week 1 with the Steelers game,” North said.

The Jets released Rodgers in March after two rough seasons of unfulfilled promise. He tore his Achilles tendon in Week 1 in 2023. Rodgers played every game last season, but the Jets finished 5-12. The Jets opened their season on Monday Night Football the last two years.

Rodgers remains unsigned. He said recently on "The Pat McAfee Show" that he’s still undecided whether he wants to play a 21st NFL season. If he does, it is expected to be with the Steelers. That would make the Week 1 matchup at MetLife Stadium even more compelling.

The Jets only have two prime-time games this season after getting six last year; the Steelers have four. North said it’s because of coach Mike Tomlin’s record of never having a losing season in 18 years and the overall popularity of the franchise.

“The Steelers are always playoff relevant late down the stretch and they have a national fan base, so their body of work is what warranted the national television exposure,” North said. “Obviously, if a future Hall of Fame quarterback decides to play for the Steelers, then it probably only makes their schedule more interesting.”

North said the “one hedge” was the Packers-Steelers game in Week 8. They made Rodgers’ potential first game against the team he spent 18 season with a Sunday night game.

“If it fell on a Sunday afternoon, for instance, it becomes the dominant story of the day — Aaron's first game against his old team,” North said. “So put in the national window, if Aaron’s the quarterback, it's a great story. If Aaron’s not the quarterback, it's still Packers-Steelers, Sunday Night Football, Week 8 . . . It sounds like a football game.”