The Jets are about to embark on the start of a new era they feel is full of possibilities.

Yet, the Week 1 matchup against the Steelers and future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers in his MetLife Stadium return on Sunday afternoon (1 p.m., CBS) provides an important reminder:

What they have now is what the Jets thought they had two years ago.

In 2023, the Jets thought they found the answer to their 12-year playoff drought in Rodgers, acquiring him after he publicly expressed his desire to come to New York. They locked him in for two years on a $75 million deal that fans saw as a gateway to success, and who could blame them?