Getty New York Jets fans celebrating a huge play on a football Sunday!
Rejoice New York Jets fans, it’s time to return to normalcy!
Since last February, planet Earth has stopped on its axis. The COVID pandemic stopped not only the sports world but all of our normal day-to-day activities.
Finally, it appears there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.
MetLife Stadium will be at 100 percent capacity for all events starting on Friday, May 28 both the Jets and Giants announced in a joint statement. We’re less than four months out from the Jets regular-season home opener vs the New England Patriots in Week 2 on Sunday, September 19 at 1:00 pm.
Jets Camp Is Expected To Be Back in Full Flavor
LET’S. GO.
The latest news came out on Tuesday, May 25 from the NFL league office.
Fans are expected to return to training camps this summer. The specifics and logistics of fan involvement will be subject to each team’s state and local guidelines.
Some of those details that the NFL and the NFLPA are working through include:
- Proximity to players
- Autograph opportunities
All of this is huge news heading into the 2021 season. Last year training camps were closed to the public. Also, no fans were in attendance at MetLife Stadium during this past NFL season due to the COVID pandemic.
That is probably a good thing because the Jets painfully endured one of their worst seasons in franchise history which was punctuated with a 2-14 record.
The loosening of restrictions and the hype around this new look Jets squad couldn’t be better timed.
Robert Saleh Is Going To Enjoy the Fans
Speaking of that terrible 2020 campaign, there’s actually a silver lining if you look close enough.
Adam Gase was not only one of the worst head coaches in Jets history but in recent NFL history. Understandably he was canned after two seasons on the job.
This offseason Robert Saleh was brought into the fold as the head coach of Gang Green. In any normal year, it would’ve been a home run hire that received tons of praise, but this year, as far as Jets fans were concerned this was the single greatest hire in football history.
Saleh is going to get the longest honeymoon period we’ve ever seen. Gase set the bar so low, that literally, anyone would’ve been an upgrade this offseason. The fact that Saleh was so highly respected and was so well regarded is absolutely a bonus.
The tailgating, the roar of that J-E-T-S chant, and the concession stand buzzing? Week 2 is going to be special. The energy is palpable months out, just wait until we get to game day.
The Return of an All-Pro
The most notable player that’ll be returning to the Jets in 2021 is linebacker CJ Mosley.
He’s noteworthy because of the size of his contract and his potential when healthy on the gridiron.
Mosley only played in parts of two contests in his first year with Gang Green after signing a massive five-year $85 million contract due to injuries. Then this past season he took advantage of the COVID opt-out clause negotiated by the NFLPA.
There are a lot of juicy storylines heading into 2021 amid the COVID pandemic, but none are bigger than the fans who are the lifeblood of the NFL. Without fans, there wouldn’t be professional football.
We aren’t completely out of the woods as it pertains to COVID ending, but this certainly feels like a huge step forward in the right direction.