Getty New York Jets offensive tackle George Fant getting a good workout in during training camp.
Even though the organized portion of the New York Jets’ offseason training activities is over, that doesn’t mean players can’t keep doing work on their own.
One player that is mired in some contract drama with the team has certainly taken it upon himself to do his part over the break ahead of training camp to get himself right.
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Looking Swole
Veteran offensive tackle George Fant is in fantastic shape.
He showed off his impressive physique on Friday, June 24 via his social media portals:
Also #Jets OT George Fant (@GeorgeFant74) is looking ridiculously ripped ahead of #JetsCamp 👀: 📸 george_fant44 on IG #TakeFlight
Fant missed the voluntary portion of OTAs due to an offseason procedure but both he and head coach Robert Saleh expect him to be ready by the start of training camp at the end of July.
The 29-year-old (he will turn 30 before the start of training camp) is ultra motivated. On his Instagram story, he posted a video of him working out with the lyrics, “this year I ain’t playing, I’m on a mission.”
That motivation is two-fold as he’s fighting for a brand new contract and a positional battle on the offensive line.
Fant was slated to play right tackle in 2021 but a season-ending injury to Mekhi Becton in Week 1 forced an audible at the line of scrimmage. The veteran flipped over to the left side and was a stalwart throughout the 2021 campaign.
Heading into training camp it is unclear who will start where in the trenches. However, Fant has made his preference clear as his Instagram bio simply states, “left tackle.”
The Latest on His Contract Situation
Which feeds right into his contract situation.
Fant is in a contract year with a 2022 cap hit of $11.1 million. Although he has no guarantees in the final year of his deal.
The front office and coaching staff have been transparent about their love for Fant and what he has meant to the team.
“George Fant, I think that is something to look out for [a possible contract extension] as the preseason wraps up and we get closer to the regular season,” Rich Cimini of ESPN said on the Flight Deck Podcast. “The Jets see him as a young 30-year-old because he did not play a ton of snaps during his first couple of years in the league. I think there is a chance that could happen but probably not until a little later on.”
There have been a lot of different contract structures discussed over the last few months on what would fit Fant best.
Although the best one may have come from Bleacher Report’s lead NFL draft analyst Connor Rogers on the Badlands podcast.
He suggested this could be a bridge contract. If you guarantee a chunk of money for 2022 and maybe half of the contract in 2023 you can satisfy all parties involved.
Fant will get some financial security and the Jets will have their most reliable offensive tackle under contract.
It would also still provide Gang Green some flexibility by not guaranteeing too much money into the future for a player that will be 31 ahead of the 2023 season.
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