Return Game

Another day, another set of NFL games announced leading up to Wednesday’s full league schedule release.

Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets will travel to the Bay Area to battle the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium on Sept. 9 for the first “Monday Night Football” game of the season, carried by ESPN.

GETTY IMAGES: QB Aaron Rodgers makes his return on Monday Night Football in Week 1

The first Thursday night game on Amazon, on Sept. 12, will feature the Buffalo Bills taking on their AFC East rivals, the Miami Dolphins, starting at 8:15 p.m.

Also, the Dallas Cowboys will play the Cleveland Browns in Week 1 at 4:25 p.m. on Sept. 8 on FOX.

The game marks the debut of Tom Brady as a color commentator.

As for other games, the Chiefs – who were announced as participants in the league’s Thursday night season opener against the Ravens – will play Week 2 against the Cincinnati Bengals a 4:25 on CBS. (https://www.insidethebirds.com/nfl-roundup-may-13/).

Also already known is the Friday night game during opening weekend between the Eagles and Green Bay Packers in Sao Paolo, Brazil.

The entire league schedule is expected to be released at 8 p.m. Wednesday.

MVS On Move

Two-time Super Bowl champion wide receiver Marques Valdez-Scantling will once again be playing for an elite NFL quarterback.

Valdez-Scantling signed a one-year deal to play for the Bills, per ESPN.

Marques Valdez-Scantling, who won back-to-back Super Bowls with the Chiefs playing alongside Patrick Mahomes, started his career in Green Bay, catching passes from Aaron Rodgers.

Valdez-Scantling, who caught a 16-yard touchdown in Kansas City’s Super Bowl win over the 49ers, has played 11 total postseason games and has been on the winning side in nine of them.

He joins a remade Bills receiver corps that lost Gabe Davis in free agency and Pro Bowler Stefon Diggs in a trade with the Texans but gained free agent Curtis Samuel and second-round draft pick Keon Coleman.

No Problem?

For the first time since the 2024 NFL Draft, new Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins spoke publicly about the team’s surprising selection with the eighth overall pick.

Kirk Cousins talks about draft night
"They called me and told me hey we're gonna take a quarterback here and I said okay. It was pretty straight forward." #Falcons pic.twitter.com/o1urwRHz1R

— Maria Martin (@Ria_Martin) May 14, 2024

The Falcons used their first round draft choice on QB Michael Penix Jr. just one month after signing Cousins to a four-year $180 million deal in an attempt to build a contender. 

Despite being reportedly stunned by the selection at the time, the 35-year-old is publicly keeping his cool, noting he has been involved with competitive quarterback rooms throughout his collegiate and NFL career.

When asked if he would have still signed with Atlanta if he knew the direction they would take in the draft, Cousins again took the diplomatic route, refusing to engage in hypotheticals. 

– Geoff Mosher and Benjamin Paul contributed to this story.