Jeremy Ruckert signs four-year deal with Jets
Jeremy Ruckert on the first day of rookie camp for the Jets on May 6, 2022. Credit: Pablo Garcia Corradi
Jeremy Ruckert’s lifelong dream of being a Jet became official on Monday, and it was a family affair.
The Lindenhurst product signed his rookie contract with the Jets at their Florham Park, New Jersey, facility flanked by his parents, Jamie and Bill, and his two brothers, Erich and Will.
As Ruckert inked a four-year deal worth $5.04 million, his father led a “J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets” chant.
“It’s hard to put into words how not only I feel but my family feels,” Jeremy said after his first day of rookie camp earlier this month. “I’m sure everybody knows how much it meant to my dad. I grew up a Jets fan, me and my family and my brothers."
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The Jets selected the tight end in the third round of the draft with the No. 101 pick. They’re high on his ability to block in the run game and believe he can also be an effective pass-catcher.
That skill wasn’t utilized much at Ohio State. The Buckeyes were loaded with offensive talent, including receiver Garrett Wilson, whom the Jets took with the No. 10 pick.
Ruckert caught 26 passes for 309 yards and three touchdowns as a senior. Overall, he had 54 catches for 609 yards and 12 scores at Ohio State.
“He’s a dynamic athlete,” Robert Saleh said after the Jets drafted Ruckert. “He’s a dynamic weapon in the pass game. He wasn’t always the No. 1 option at Ohio State, but he was a guy that was willing to do the dirty work to help his teammates as a blocker. He really committed to helping his running backs at the point of attack and he gets after guys at the line of scrimmage, but he can also get open against safeties and create separation in the pass game.”
Ruckert worked with the Jets coaches during the Senior Bowl, and he impressed there. He joins a totally revamped tight end corps. The Jets signed veterans C.J. Uzomah and Tyler Conklin in free agency. After adding Ruckert, Uzomah declared that the Jets’ group of tight ends is “scary.”
“This is one of the better tight end rooms this league needs to look out for,” Uzomah said.
Ruckert, who has been recovering from a foot injury, became the fourth member of the Jets’ draft class to sign their rookie deals.
First-round picks Sauce Gardner, Wilson and Jermaine Johnson all signed. Second-round pick Breece Hall and the Jets’ two fourth-rounders, Max Mitchell and Micheal Clemons, remain unsigned.
Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.
