Jeremy Ruckert signs rookie contract while his dad leads ‘Jets’ chant

“J-E-T-S” chants Bill Ruckert as son Jeremy signs his rookie New York Jets contract

It’s been a while since the New York Jets have had a player who fans could look at and say, “Wow, he is one of us.”

Jeremy Ruckert is that guy.

The Ohio State tight end, selected 101st overall by New York in the fourth round of this year’s draft, was born and raised as a Jets fan in Lindenhurst, New York.

The man who made Jeremy a Jets fan – his father, Bill – has quickly become as much of a fan favorite as the 6-foot-5 tight end himself.

Bill became notorious among Jets fans for his ecstatic reaction when Jeremy was drafted, leading a “J-E-T-S” chant among family members in the Ruckert house. Now, Bill has brought his energy to the Jets’ team facility in Florham Park, New Jersey.

As the Jets began OTAs on Monday, Jeremy was in the building to sign his four-year, $5 million rookie contract. While Jeremy was in the process of putting pen to paper, Bill and other members of the Ruckert family were right behind him. Bill led the group in another “J-E-T-S” chant, which can be seen in a video that was shared by the Jets’ Twitter account.

CONFIRMED: @Jeremy_Ruckert1’s dad is a legend pic.twitter.com/RDrLIemJEj

— New York Jets (@nyjets) May 23, 2022

On Twitter, Ruckert responded to the video with the caption “Mood…” and a snapshot of himself excitedly screaming after Ruckert was drafted.

Mood… https://t.co/XJbowyD8LN pic.twitter.com/bOApaB8tAq

— Bill Ruckert (@BeerShot21) May 23, 2022

Bill shared a few more photos from his day at the Jets’ facility.

Jeremy’s signing day!!! J-E-T-S-JETS-JETS-JETS!!!! pic.twitter.com/lj5DTRXiVo

— Bill Ruckert (@BeerShot21) May 23, 2022

Prior to Ruckert, the Jets had not drafted a tight end on the second day of the draft since 2014, when they selected Texas Tech’s Jace Amaro in the second round. It should not be difficult for Ruckert to beat out the resume of Amaro, who finished his NFL career with two touchdowns in 17 games.

Ruckert joins a restocked Jets tight end room that is led by veteran free-agent signings C.J. Uzomah and Tyler Conklin. While Ruckert figures to be the Jets’ No. 3 tight end to begin his career, he will certainly get his fair share of playing time in an offense that will likely run a lot of 12 personnel (two tight ends).

The Jets have now signed four of their seven draft picks: Ruckert, Sauce Gardner, Garrett Wilson, and Jermaine Johnson. Breece Hall, Max Mitchell, and Micheal Clemons remain on the to-do list.