Vinny Curry rejoices in his return to the football field

Vinny Curry had trouble sleeping Saturday night. The 34-year-old defensive end was almost like a rookie all fired up to make his NFL debut.

It was much more than that for Curry, though.

He was returning to the game he loved after a scary health emergency last year. Curry reflected on all he had been through the night before the Jets played the Packers and poured his heart out to his teammates during a team meeting.

“I couldn’t even get no sleep,” Curry said. “I was amped up. Then, they let me talk to the defense. I was so freakin’ amped in that meeting. It felt good and to know that everyone was so happy for me and for me to be out there competing and to contribute to our win, it was a great feeling.”

The Jets signed Curry in 2021 to help lead their young defense not only on the field but off it. Jets general manager Joe Douglas knew Curry from his time in the Eagles’ front office and believed the well-respected Curry would be a tremendous asset.

But Curry never took the field for the Jets last year. In July, Jets doctors discovered that he had a rare blood disorder that caused his spleen to be enlarged. Curry’s spleen was removed.

He planned on rejoining the Jets last September, but Curry didn’t refill his blood-thinner medication. Blood clots formed and football took a backseat to Curry getting healthy for his wife and young children.

Still, Curry led the Jets from a distance, sitting in on meetings virtually when he couldn’t be in the building, talking to and encouraging players.

Curry vowed to return in 2022 and did, but then he suffered a hamstring injury during a joint practice with the Falcons in August. He limped off the field and slammed down his helmet in disgust. Curry was on injured reserve for the first five games. He was activated Saturday night and made his debut Sunday.

“I was having a pretty awesome day that day in training camp,” Curry said. “I was [angry]. I slammed the helmet down, like, ‘Damn.' We got through that and [Sunday] it was . . .  How do you say the saying: The juice was definitely worth the squeeze. I really enjoyed it, and I couldn’t be more thankful.”

Curry played 17 of 73 defensive snaps and made an impact. His first tackle was for a 2-yard loss as he blew up the play and stuffed A.J. Dillon’s run. Curry finished with three tackles.

“I thought I did a good job,” Curry said. “I took advantage of my opportunity and the plays I was dealt. A couple of plays I’d like to have back.”

Quinnen Williams said he was “super excited” for Curry to be back playing, and especially his tackle for loss.

“I was pumped up to see that,” Williams said. “Vinny Curry is one of the best leaders outside of Steve McLendon that I ever got a chance to be around. The different tools that he brings, the different juice that he brings and different knowledge he brings to the defensive line room especially is a gem to me.

“I’m so happy to have him a part of the team the last two years, even last year when he wasn’t able to play football, he was still engaged one-thousand percent to every single thing.”

Curry’s message to the team the night before the game was simple yet meaningful and poignant.

“We have the opportunity to pull our personalities together and put it on tape and put it on display,” Curry said. “That was the most [important] thing I was trying to hit on. Let your personalities show and understand that here in this locker room, we just care for one another, and we play for each other.”

Curry loved that he finally got to do the same.

“It felt great to be back on the field and out there with my brothers and everything, just to compete,” Curry said. “It was a blessing.”

Two-minute drill

The Jets signed offensive lineman Conor McDermott to the practice squad after releasing him from the active roster Monday.

By Al Iannazzone

al.iannazzone@newsday.comAl_Iannazzone

Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.