New York Jets center Ryan Kalil shows excitement after finally getting some team reps in practice this past weekend.
Earlier this month, center Ryan Kalil announced he would be ending his quick retirement from the NFL. Kalil, who’s a five-time Pro Bowler, signed a one-year deal with the New York Jets and will compete for the starting center job.
On Sunday, Kalil finally got some team reps in practice. Yes, he’s officially back. The former Carolina Panther who spent time with the team that drafted him from 2007-18 has returned to football, and per Mollie Walker of the New York Post, the veteran offensive lineman is more than excited.
“I’m so fired up. I really am,” Kalil said. “I’m nervous, obviously, because I want to do well and I want to play well and I want to contribute, but that’ll come and we’ll just keep rolling.”
It could be tough getting back into the swing of things when coming out of retirement. There are so many different aspects you have to get reaccustomed to. However, Kalil says Gang Green has helped make it a smooth transition for him.
“Yes, I think [I was comfortable with how the Jets eased me back in]. We talked about it early on and we’ve just been communicating day by day,” Kalil said. “And I felt like I was ready to start getting out on team reps. It’s hard to play when you don’t know the plays, when you don’t know the calls especially.
“But all plays I’ve done before, all the calls I’ve done before. They’re just all different terms, all different code names so they don’t have a Rosetta Stone for this. It’s just like learning a new language.”
The Jets play their third preseason game against the New Orleans Saints on Saturday, Aug. 24 at 7:30 p.m. ET. It’s unclear if Kalil will get any playing time.
