New York Jets' head coach Robert Saleh talks to reporters at the NFL football team's training facility in Florham Park, N.J., Wednesday, May 31, 2023. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) (Seth Wenig, AP)
The Jets were scheduled to hold a mandatory minicamp next week but have opted to take an early vacation instead.
Jets head coach Robert Saleh told the media on Wednesday morning that Gang Green will skip the three-day session next week. Basically, the Jets will not hold the mandatory minicamp next week because the team (along with the Cleveland Browns) will report to training camp a week earlier than the rest of the league since they will be playing in the annual preseason Hall of Fame game on Aug. 3.
“Guys need to get away,” Saleh said. “We’ve been here, they’ve put in a really good offseason, all the guys have since April. So, they’ve been here.
“Just to give the guys an extra week of rest. You need a week off and you gotta rev back up and get ready for the season. Having an extra week, taking a week off, there’s a lot of things that can mess up the flow.”
It makes sense why the Jets are skipping next week’s session. They would be at a disadvantage if they held a minicamp next week. Thirty teams will have six weeks off before training camp begins around July 27-28. The Jets and the Browns will likely hold their first training camp session on July 21 or 22.
Most of the Jets players have been present during their offseason program, which began in April before the official trade for Aaron Rodgers on April 26. One of the players who has been absent is defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, who has been seeking a contract extension before the start of the season.
Williams told reporters in January that he wouldn’t attend OTAs, which are optional and has kept his promise to this point. Also, Williams and his wife recently had their first child this month.
While the Jets haven’t extended Williams, several defensive tackles have been paid this offseason, including Bills defensive tackle Ed Oliver, who was given a four-year extension worth $68 million, including $45 million guaranteed over the weekend.
“I speak for everyone, and I probably speak for Quinnen that we all want it to get done sooner rather than later,” Saleh said. “It’s going to get done, he will be here.
“It’s going to get done, he will be here for camp, he will be ready to roll. And once he is here, I’m sure he will be the same guy that he was before.”
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Originally published at Tribune News Service