The New York Jets will start the 2024 season in prime time against the San Francisco 49ers. The Niners may have some players on the outs with the team right now but Robert Saleh isn’t counting on them missing any games.

Saleh will face his old team, for which he served as defensive coordinator prior to taking the Jets job, as a head coach for the first time. Amid the holdouts from Brandon Aiyuk and Trent Williams, it’s tough to gauge whether the 49ers will actually be at full strength. But Saleh said that he expects to see Aiyuk and Williams in Week 1, according to Myles Simmons of ProFootballTalk.

“Fully expect those two [to play],” Saleh said on Tuesday, via PFT. “Fully expect Trent Williams to walk on the field and still be his All-Pro self with a newly minted contract, I’m sure, and Aiyuk, I’m sure he’ll be there, but yeah, you keep an eye, kind of a side eye. Right now, it’s all tunnel vision towards them and only them. I’ll say this, with or without them, they are still a championship roster, and they’ve got some dudes all over their roster. It’s going to be a fun game, great challenge.”

Jets get early test with 49ers matchup in Week 1

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The 49ers are not going to be the same team without Williams, arguably their best player and definitely their best defensive lineman, and Aiyuk, their best wide receiver. But they can still be a pretty good one.

Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel and George Kittle are still a great collection of playmakers for Brock Burdy to have at his disposal. The defense isn’t affected by the holdouts. Nick Bosa, Fred Warner and company make for a formidable unit for Aaron Rodgers and the Jets to play against. As Rodgers tries to get his playing career back on track, he's going to have a lot on his plate.

The Jets have to prove that making Rodgers the centerpiece of their franchise was the right call. To start off his second season with the team, Saleh is ensuring that his squad comes ready to play the full-strength Niners. It's better to overestimate than underestimate an opponent, especially one that was just in the Super Bowl.