Getty Several New York Jets players enjoying their time off the field ahead of training camp.
For the first time since the world was rocked by the COVID pandemic, the New York Jets are welcoming back its’ fans to the team’s training camp this summer.
The news was first revealed on Tuesday morning in an official statement from the green and white social media portals.
Last year the entire world, let alone the NFL, was thrown off its’ axis. That resulted in an abbreviated offseason that didn’t include the preseason, any fans at camp, and a weird version of training camp.
Now with everything opening back up and positivity in the air, things are moving and grooving accordingly.
We heard earlier this offseason that every NFL team was expected to reach full capacity for games and now the next domino has fallen with the Jets welcoming back fans to camp.
ALL the latest Jets news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Jets newsletter here!
Here Are All the Juicy and Pertinent Details
There will be eight open practices for Jets fans to attend this summer:
- Saturday, July 31 (10:20 am)
- Monday, August 2 (10:20 am)
- Wednesday, August 4 (10:20 am)
- Saturday, August 7 (7:00 pm); Green and White Practice Scrimmage at MetLife Stadium
- Monday, August 9 (10:20 am)
- Wednesday, August 11 (10:20 am)
- Tuesday, August 24 (TBD); joint practice with the Philadelphia Eagles
- Wednesday, August 25 (TBD); another joint practice with the Eagles
For fans that want to attend any of these open practices, they must head to the official Jets website. On Wednesday, July 14 at 10:00 am free mobile tickets will be available for download.
Some Cool Training Camp Stories From the Past
Getting a chance to visit your favorite team at training camp is a one-of-a-kind experience.
While the Jets most recently shifted their operations back to The Atlantic Health Training Center, there was a time that they took their show on the road.
The green and white spent five years at SUNY Cortland where they hosted their annual training camp. It was a unique college atmosphere where the players could bond and build team chemistry.
This was also an opportunity for fans to get up close and personal with NFL professionals in a very intimate environment.
Back when the Jets were doing this in the early 2010s I got to attend several of those camps as a fan. Those are some of the most cherished moments I had as a young adult.
Back in April of 2010, the Jets made a blockbuster addition by executing a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers to bring in a former Super Bowl MVP in Santonio Holmes.
The fans were bubbling with excitement after adding a player of that magnitude. He spent four seasons with Gang Green and had some splashy moments.
One day in the middle of Jets camp he was walking alone, away from the crowds, cameras, and media. Unbeknownst to me, a die-hard Jets fan, we were walking alongside one another when I glanced up in shock.
I quickly mustered up the courage to ask if he’d be willing to sign something for me and he stopped walking and gave a smirk saying, “sure kid.”
I couldn’t pull my Holmes jersey off my back quick enough that I just happened to be wearing that day out of dumb luck. Not only did he sign the back of it, but he stopped and talked to me for 5 to 10 minutes, which felt even longer.
After signing the jersey and giving me a fist bump, he jogged along on his way. I kept pinching myself asking if that really just happened?
As I looked around, there were no other fans in sight, which added to the surrealness of the moment, but as I glanced back down at the embroidered jersey his unmistakable John Hancock stared back at me.
That’s a moment that happened at a training camp practice that I’ll never forget for the rest of my life.
Sadly due to league protocols (through the NFL and the NFLPA), any of these special moments featuring photographs or autographs with members of the Jets roster or coaching staff won’t be permitted in 2021.
Fans will be allowed to take photos of the players during camp, but won’t be allowed to record any video footage, per the team.
Although fans being allowed back at camp is the first necessary step to return all of us back to normalcy and maybe eventually you having a cool story to tell your kids in 20 years.
Follow @BoyGreen25 & @obermuller_nyj on Twitter for all the latest New York Jets breaking news, rumors, fresh takes, and more!
READ NEXT: Marcus Maye and Jets Negotiations ‘Went South’, ‘No Deal Is Expected’