The New York Jets and Tampa Bay Buccaneers will begin their 2026 NFL exhibition season on Friday when the two teams do battle at MetLife Stadium.
As is always the case with the preseason, the Jets will have close eyes on all the action as the team make decisions on who will land the final 53-man roster. It is also an important year for Aaron Glenn's status as a head coach in the NFL.
Leading up the kickoff, there will be few headlines to keep in mind before this matchup.
With that, here are Jets Wire's three storylines to watch for ahead of Jets vs. Buccaneers:
How chippy will things get?
The Jets and Buccaneers held joint practices ahead of their first exhibition practices. A lot of fireworks were flying.
There were plenty of fights between the two days of workouts together
despite the teams trying to quell them ahead of the second one. Will that boil over to the field on Friday?
Geno's first go
The lead headline for the Jets heading into this one will be all about Geno Smith. It will be his first time leading their offense since 2016.
The massive question: How does Smith and the Jets offense look a decade later?
Starters for how long?
Head coach Aaron Glenn said everyone will play, starters included. There's your pre-game answer, but once the bullets start flying, how long will the first teamers play? That answer will be found out during the contest.
This article originally appeared on Jets Wire: Jets vs. Buccaneers: 3 storylines to watch for ahead of preseason Week 1
