Players Dismissed until Training Camp as Jets Close Out OTAs

Gang Green completed its final Phase 3 practice on Friday in Florham Park

© Chris Pedota, NorthJersey.com

It's a wrap, for now.

The New York Jets' springtime organized team activities, or OTAs, are complete and the team will not host a mandatory minicamp next week. 

Robert Saleh's team won't return to action until the last two weeks of July when training camp convenes.

Set to play in the Hall of Fame Game, the Jets are one of two teams who have an early start to the NFL Preseason. With veterans asked to report to camp 15 days prior to the first preseason gameday (August 3), Gang Green will be back open for business the week of July 17.

Although they'll be away from the team facility for the next 5+ weeks, players shouldn't view all of the time away as time off.

"There’s a lot of players who have lost or won jobs over the next 40 days, league wide," said Saleh prior to final practice on the OTAs Phase 3 schedule. " It’s not vacation."

In fact, Saleh developed a name for the upcoming period.

"We’ve kind of termed the next 40 days of football the 'Phase Me' period, where players are left to their own devices," said Saleh.

Future Hall-of-Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers plans to put the work in during his stay out west in the coming weeks.

"I’m going to get back to the West Coast and get with my workout folks out there," said the four-time NFL MVP after the June 9 practice. "I got a Lake Tahoe trip and that’s about it. So, other than that, I’ll just be working out there."

Rodgers mentioned the possibility of linking up with receiver Mecole Hardman for joint workouts.

"We got to find, maybe, a central point if we do something and make sure there’s some dates that work for everybody," said the 39-year old Rodgers.

Wherever Rodgers and his teammates may be location wise over the next 40 days, Saleh laid out a challenge for them.

"The challenge for our players, and really any player in the NFL, is to attack these 40 days with a mindset to come into training camp in the best shape they’ve ever been," said Saleh. "We’re entering 'Phase Me.' Attack it in the same manner that they’ve attacked the entire offseason."

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