George Fant reached out to Shaquill Griffin, an old Seattle teammate this week, in an apparent effort to recruit him to the New York Jets.
George Fant made the cross-country, cross-conference trip from the Pacific Northwest to the New York metropolitan area. If it’s up to him, he won’t be the last.
The New York Jets offensive lineman took to Twitter on Tuesday in an attempt to recruit cornerback Shaquill Griffin to the team.
Fant and Griffin played three seasons together with the Seattle Seahawks before the former inked a three-year, $30 million deal with the Jets last spring.
@ShaquillG 🗽
— George Fant (@GeorgeFant74) March 10, 2021
Fant, 28, started 14 games at tackle for the Jets last season after four years with the Seahawks. In his tweet, Fant includes only Griffin’s Twitter handle and an emoji of the Statue of Liberty, a possible invitation to join him in New York.
Fant is far from the first Jets lineman to recruit star talent from other teams. Earlier this offseason, Fant’s fellow tackle Mekhi Becton attempted to lure J.J. Watt to New York, though the gambit failed as Watt eventually chose the Arizona Cardinals.
Griffin, 25, joined Seattle in 2017 as a third-round choice out of Central Florida, working alongside his brother and fellow Orlando alum Shaquem, a linebacker. He earned a career-best three interceptions last season in addition to 63 tackles and a dozen pass breakups.
Shaquill, a 2019 Pro Bowler, is set to become an unrestricted free agent this month. He would certainly be a welcome prescience amongst a young Jets secondary rife with unpolished potential.
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Bringing in Griffin would hold a sense of irony for the Jets. The team had a chance to draft him in the third round of the 2017 draft but opted to take receiver ArDarius Stewart with the 79th overall choice. Griffin would go to Seattle 11 picks later.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
