Bills vs. Jets vibes permeate US Open with Aaron Rodgers watching, Damar Hamlin serving

NEW YORK—The 2023 National Football League season gets into full swing a week from today, when all but four teams kick off their gridiron campaigns with traditional Sunday openers. The Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs and the upstart Detroit Lions officially open NFL play this Thursday, while the Buffalo Bills and the New York Jets get the stage to themselves four evenings later, on Monday Night Football.

This divisional battle between New York’s and New Jersey’s AFC teams hasn’t had this much intrigue in years. But with the Jets seemingly having solved their quarterback quandary with the signing of Aaron Rodgers, and the Josh Allen-led Bills vying for a fourth consecutive AFC East title, it’s must-see TV.

Bills vs. Jets is also the only Week 1 game that won’t be held on the same day as the US Open. To apparently make up for that, players from both teams have been seen, at and away from Flushing Meadows, vibing with the tennis.

Damar Hamlin, the Bills’ safety who suffered cardiac arrest in a January 2 game in Cincinnati, has made a miraculous recovery and earned a spot on Buffalo’s 53-man roster.

On Sunday, Hamlin showed his support for Jessica Pegula—who advanced to the fourth round on Saturday, and whose family owns the Bills—by showing off his...serve:

Don’t quit your day job, Damar.

Then there was Rodgers, who watched some more technically sound serving in Arthur Ashe Stadium on Sunday. The 39-year-old headed to Queens with teammates Randall Cobb and C.J. Uzomah to take in an all-American fourth rounder between Ben Shelton, who fired two 149 M.P.H. aces, and Tommy Paul:

The New York Post's Peter Botte reported that New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones was also in the house.

Perhaps it won’t be the only time we see Bills or Jets players at the US Open. After all, they’ll have the finals weekend off, and they’ll be around New York City in preparation for Monday’s game.

Should Pegula reach the final, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Hamlin or Allen seated in a suite. And maybe the reverse will be true on Monday Night Football—but not just Jess.

“I need to work on getting more players to become Bills fans,” Pegula said on Saturday, after she was told that men’s world No. 13 Alex de Minaur plays fantasy football. “I don’t think a lot of them watch American football. I need to be kind of getting in there and getting some more fans.

“I forget who it was the other day, You can just be a fan of the Bills. It’s already done. You don't need to try to go anywhere else. You have a reason, so...”

Like she said: Go Bills, tennis players.

⬇️ No Limit NYC: Jessica Pegula and Prakash talk wings and bagels ⬇️