SPARTANBURG, S.C. — In the summer of 2021, the Jets traveled to Green Bay for joint practices.

Robert Saleh was in his first season as Jets coach. The team was preparing rookie quarterback Zach Wilson. The roster was undergoing a major transformation with Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas in their first season together. The team had four rookies in addition to Wilson playing critical roles.

On the other side, the Packers had Matt LaFleur entering his third season as head coach with lofty expectations for the season. Aaron Rodgers was the Packers quarterback, and Green Bay had a loaded defense.

Things did not go well for the Jets over those few days in Green Bay.

Rodgers dominated the Jets’ young defense, and the Jets’ offensive line was no match for the Packers’ pass rush. I remember seeing a few members of the front office walking out of Lambeau Field after the preseason game, and they looked as if their dog had died.

That time in Green Bay and the Jets’ joint practices with the Eagles later that summer were a wakeup call to the entire organization about how far away they were from contending.

Jump ahead to this week: The Jets have a measuring stick to see how far they’ve come when they practice with the Panthers for two days here.

Now the Jets are the team with the third-year head coach entering the season with lofty expectations. The Panthers are the team in transition with new coach Frank Reich and rookie quarterback Bryce Young.

Most importantly, of course, Rodgers is now a Jet.

I don’t want to get too carried away about practices in August, but this will be our first time seeing the Jets varsity match up with another team’s varsity.

The preseason games have become meaningless with most starters sitting out. These practices are good against good.

Those practices in 2021 were telling.

I can remember watching the Packers defensive line just dominate the Jets. They had no answer for the pass rush.

Rodgers abused the Jets defensive backs. Bless Austin, who entered those practices as a starting cornerback, had his confidence ruined and the Jets cut him a few weeks later.

The highlight of those days in Green Bay for the Jets was Wilson getting to spend some time with Rodgers.

Surely, Young will talk to Rodgers this week, and the Panthers media will eat it up just like we did in 2021. But this trip to South Carolina will be about more for the Jets than just a conversation between quarterbacks.

This is a true test for the offensive line, which has looked shaky in camp. The Panthers have a good defensive line that will test the Jets. Duane Brown is still not practicing, leaving a hole at left tackle. Can Billy Turner, Max Mitchell and Mekhi Becton slow down the rush? Rodgers can’t be hit in these practices, but the play will be whistled dead if a defender gets close.

On the other side, the Jets defense should dominate a young Panthers offense. The Panthers traded away their two best offensive players in the past year, dealing Christian McCaffrey to San Francisco and D.J. Moore to Chicago.

Young was the No. 1 overall pick, and is coming off an impressive college career at Alabama. But the Jets defense has the goal of being the top defense in football this season. They should be dominate against the Panthers this week.

Those 2021 Packers ended up going 13-4 and losing to the 49ers in the playoffs with Rodgers winning the MVP.

The Jets can only hope to have a season as good as that one. We’ll get our first clues this week if they look like a team even close to achieving their lofty goals.

Want to catch a game? The Jets schedule with links to buy tickets can be found here.

One thing that has stood out to me in training camp has been the play of the Jets’ tight ends. This group looks like it could do special things.

Now, I’ve been fooled before in training camp (I thought Ty Montgomery was going to have a Pro Bowl season in 2019), but I truly think this is not just a camp mirage.

The trio of Tyler Conklin, C.J. Uzomah and Jeremy Ruckert has put together a really nice camp. It feels as if at least one of them makes a critical catch in practice each day.

Rodgers is known for targeting the tight end, and you can see it in practice, especially in red-zone periods.

Conklin had a strong first season with the Jets in 2022, so this is no surprise with him. Uzomah had a disappointing 2022, so a rebound year is expected. Ruckert has been the biggest surprise. The second-year player from Ohio State looks like a different, more confident person on the field, and he has made some great catches already in camp.

I’m not sure how offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett will get all three tight ends involved, but that’s a nice problem to have.

There are massive expectations for the 2023 Jets. People are talking about the playoffs and even the Super Bowl. The Jets have not had that many great seasons in their history, so it is understandable if there are also doubters out there.

Here is a look at all the double-digit-win seasons in Jets history and how those campaigns ended:

1998: 12-4, Lost AFC Championship Game

2010: 11-5, Lost AFC Championship Game

1985: 11-5, Lost AFC Wild Card Game

1968: 11-3, Won Super Bowl III

2015: 10-6, Missed playoffs

2006: 10-6, Lost AFC Wild Game

2004: 10-6, Lost AFC Divisional Game

2001: 10-6, Lost AFC Wild Card Game

1986: 10-6, Lost AFC Divisional Game

1981: 10-5-1, Lost AFC Wild Card Game

1969: 10-4, Lost AFL Divisional Game

Source: Pro Football Reference