The New York Jets will cap their virtual offseason with in-person workouts this weekend in the Miami area, where quarterback Sam Darnold will gather with about two dozen teammates for an informal three-day passing camp.
Almost every key offensive skill position player is expected to attend, including running backs Le’Veon Bell and Frank Gore, wide receivers Breshad Perriman, Jamison Crowder and Denzel Mims and tight end Chris Herndon.
The workouts will start Thursday at the Bommarito Performance System in Aventura, Florida, where Bell, Perriman and Gore train in the offseason.
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the NFL has restricted players from working out and practicing at their team facilities. The offseason has been limited to online sessions with coaches.
Darnold was looking to conduct an on-field session for the skill position players, prompting Bell and Perriman to suggest their home facility, which hosted the Buffalo Bills the previous weekend.
For Darnold, this will mark his first time throwing to his new receivers, Perriman and Mims, the latter a second-round pick from Baylor. Darnold has spent the offseason at his home in Southern California, training with Bills quarterback Josh Allen under the tutelage of quarterback guru Jordan Palmer.
“As I grow and mature and continue to be the quarterback of this organization, I’m just going to continue to mold into the leader that I’m going to become,” Darnold said recently.
In Aventura, Darnold & Co. will have access to a fully lined NFL field and will be able to conduct workouts in a private setting. It’s a 20-acre complex that includes a chef, a smoothie and juice bar, and recovery facilities.
It’s a long way from playing pitch-and-catch at a local park.
“Privacy is the key, in addition to having a phenomenal field,” Pete Bommarito, the company president, said Tuesday during a phone interview. “We’re providing a good environment. It’s easy. It’s safe. The players feel comfortable here.”
The Jets will stay through Saturday, with Sunday an optional day. After that, they will scatter for the offseason. Training camp is scheduled to begin in late July.
The New York Daily News first reported the workouts.