Through his first three NFL seasons, New York Jets’ 2022 third-round pick Jeremy Ruckert has yet to establish himself as a reliable NFL tight end. However, entering the final year of his rookie contract, the tight end is ready to flip that script.
Ruckert shared his excitement for the 2025 season and expressed confidence in the Jets’ new regime, per ESPN’s Rich Cimini.
“This is the best I’ve felt in my career, going into the season—physically, mentally, emotionally,” Ruckert told Cimini. “I love everything that the new staff is doing. I love the way they approached the first meeting of Phase I. I love the way they talk to us as a team, the way these workouts have been going.
“It fits me. It’s the kind of team and the kind of system that I want to play in as far as the culture of just coming to work every day and being a tough, hard-nosed, work-hard football team, and that you can’t survive here if you don’t have those traits,” he continued. “It makes me want to get out and go work for somebody.”
Ruckert, 24, is entering the final year of his rookie contract. The Ohio State product has not lived up to expectations throughout his first three years with the Jets.
Since being drafted, Ruckert has appeared in 41 games for the Jets (15 starts), posting only 35 receptions for 264 yards and zero touchdowns.
He has also struggled mightily as a run-blocker, which is the real painful piece of this unproductive puzzle.
In 2024, the tight end logged a horrific 39.0 run-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus. Despite Ruckert having a solid run-blocking reputation, that 39.0 grade ranked him as the second-worst among qualified tight ends in 2025.
Reunited with his college quarterback, Justin Fields, Ruckert hopes to establish himself as a reliable pass-catcher, improve his run-blocking, and earn a second contract with the Jets by delivering a strong 2025 season.
He will undoubtedly have a fair opportunity to do so as tight end is one of the Jets’ weaker position groups on their depth chart.
Perhaps rookie Mason Taylor’s presence on the New York Jets roster is exactly what Jeremy Ruckert needs.
