Longtime New York Jets Nemesis Could Have Joined 49ers Ahead of Week 1 Matchup

The New York Jets no longer have to deal with their longtime nemesis in the division, but he could have been part of their Week 1 opponent's organization.

Dec 7, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick on the sidelines against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the fourth quarter at Acrisure Stadium. The Steelers lost 21-18 / Philip G. Pavely-USA TODAY Sports

Training camp is underway for the New York Jets as they officially start their preseason work heading into their highly-anticipated opener against the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football.

Outside of the storylines featuring Aaron Rodgers returning to his home area and Robert Saleh facing the franchise where he served as the defensive coordinator, this game is going to watched because everyone around the league is interested to see if the Jets hype is real or pretend.

Making a proclamation after one game in the NFL is silly, but a lot of people will be ready to bury this team if they lose against the defending NFC champions. On the other hand, if New York comes out and makes a statement by winning this contest, there will be a lot of people claiming this team can win the Super Bowl.

A goal the Jets should have this year is winning the AFC East.

Not only would that ensure they get into the playoffs and end their league-high drought, but it would also secure them a top four seed in the postseason and present a potentially favorable matchup.

Without their nemesis Bill Belichick in the mix, New York has to be breathing a sigh of relief to not see him on the opposing sideline twice a year after he wracked up a career 38-12 record against them as head coach of the New England Patriots.

Well, their important Week 1 matchup of this season almost saw their longtime foil involved on the other sideline.

49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan went on "The TK Show" and shared with host Tim Kawakami that he offered Belichick a spot on San Francisco's staff that included the defensive coordinator role.

"I did, I threw it out to him ... I was like, 'Would you be interested?' And he was very nice and appreciative, but he politely turned me down," he said.

That would have been something for the Jets.

After getting completely dominated by Belichick for 24 years, they finally got away from him when he and the Patriots went their separate ways this offseason. Turning around and seeing him coaching against them with another team would have been a kick to the stomach.

Fortunately for New York, the legendary coach turned down Shanahan's offer.