The Cleveland Browns are set to face the Jacksonville Jaguars in their 2026 season opener on September 13th. This matchup follows a series of competitive games between the two teams in recent years.
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The NFL has been fairly tight-lipped this year as the schedule release is set to become official on Thursday night. There have not been too many games that have been spoiled, and the Cleveland Browns certainly aren't at the top of the list that people are begging to find out, yet.
However, the Browns did get one schedule leak on Wednesday, and it is for their Week One matchup to start the season. The Browns will be heading south on September 13th for a matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Browns and the Jaguars have developed quite a rapport over the past couple of seasons. First, it was Joe Flacco tearing the heart out of the Jaguars in 2023 on a rainy and cold day on the lakefront. Then, in 2024, the Browns got back on track with their first win of the season down south in Deshaun Watson's second game back. It was what many thought was going to be a turning point for their season. Spoiler, it wasn't.
Then, later on that year, Andrew Berry pulled off a highway, daylight robbery with the Jaguars and their rookie general manager, James Gladstone. Cleveland sent the second pick to Jacksonville in exchange for the fifth pick, their second round pick, a fifth round pick, and then Jacksonville's first round pick in 2026. Cleveland also tossed in picks 104 and 200 to sweeten the pot.
Now, the Browns and Jaguars link up again, but this time to get the season going. For Cleveland, this is one of the three or four teams on the schedule this year that have real, legitimate Super Bowl aspirations in 2026. This is not to say Jacksonville will stay that way all year, but they will be competitive throughout the year.
The Browns' season opener is scheduled for September 13th, 2026.
The Browns traded the second pick to the Jaguars for multiple picks, including the fifth pick and a first-round pick in 2026.
The Browns and Jaguars have had competitive matchups, with the Browns winning key games in the last two seasons.
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The Jaguars finished last year with a very impressive 13-4 record to win the AFC East convincingly. It was the worst year for them to have one of their best years ever in franchise history, as Cleveland held their first-round pick. The Browns ended up being just fine, but the Jaguars are coming for blood in 2026 and are looking to make a long playoff run.
This will be one heck of a litmus test for a very young Browns roster that is going to try to play spoiler all year long. It will, hopefully, be our first look at all of the potentially sensational rookie class. Depending on who is playing quarterback for Cleveland, this could be a very fun afternoon where the Browns learn a lot about what this team is going to be next season.
While it is not official yet, it is looking like Cleveland and Jacksonville, together for week one in 2026.
This article originally appeared on Browns Wire: Browns' rumored to be heading south for 2026 season opener