NFL teams allowed to return back to work on Friday...did the Jets staff return?
The New York Jets are one of half the teams in the NFL that did not have their coaching staff in an NFL facility Friday. Adam Gase and his staff continued to work from home even though the league approved all coaches to return to their facility.
A handful of teams had at least some of their coaching staffs in place. The Associated Press reported that the Kansas City Chiefs, Green Bay Packers, Washington’s NFL team, Denver Broncos, Dallas Cowboys, Pittsburgh Steelers, Cincinnati Bengals, Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns, Houston Texans, and Jacksonville Jaguars all had coaches at their training complexes.
As for head coaches, only a handful of them were at complexes. The Chiefs' Andy Reid, the Steelers' Mike Tomlin, the Falcons' Dan Quinn and the Broncos' Vic Fangio attended Friday. Three new hires: the Browns Kevin Stefanski, the Cowboys' Mike McCarthy, and Washington’s Ron Rivera all were in attendance. According to reports, Rivera had much of his staff with him.
The Jets reopened their northern New Jersey headquarters on Wednesday. The Jets reportedly will skip in-person mini-camp. Barring unforeseen changes, the first time the Jets will be on a field as a unit will be late July for the start of training camp. The Jets preseason opener is scheduled for August 13 against the New York Giants.
NFL teams have not gathered for any kind of in-person practice at all since the off-season officially began in March. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, teams were only allowed to have a “virtual” offseason program. The Jets participated like the rest of the league in a series of video chats. The Saints reportedly skipped their offseason program altogether during the quarantine.
After New York, the state of New Jersey was the hardest hit of any in the country in terms of coronavirus cases and fatalities.
Coaches being in facilities has been closely monitored throughout the NFL because the league wanted to make sure no team was going to have any kind of advantage in preparation because COVID-19 outbreaks have been different all over the country.
Under normal circumstances, mini-camp is usually held in mid-June. This three-day set of practices is usually a good chance for coaches to see free agent acquisitions, new draft picks, and undrafted free agents all on a field. The Jets were very active in free agency, and the only contact they have had with their players has been via video conferencing.
While head coach Adam Gase has been working remotely, the Jets did have staff members returning this week. General manager Joe Douglas, the training staff and members of the IT department made their way to One Jets Drive over the past few days.
