Joining the New York Jets is a homecoming for veteran safety Andre Cisco.
The 25-year-old grew up in Valley Stream, N.Y., and went to Syracuse University, where he quickly rose through the ranks to become a quality starter in the NFL for the Jacksonville Jaguars. As he prepares for his first full season with the Jets, Cisco can’t help but feel there’s a full-circle moment waiting for him as he suits up for his hometown team.
That moment goes back as far as when he was a kid watching the Jets practice at a college university.
Jets and Andre Cisco Thrilled For Full-Circle Moment
Following the Jets’ second OTA practice, Cisco made it clear that he was more of a Jets fan than a Giants fan growing up. A big reason was that he could go to games for Gang Green easier than for the G-Men.
Another reason? The fact that the team practiced in the same location he would go for summer camp.
“I leaned into being a Jets fan way more than a Giants fan,” Cisco said. “I never went to Hofstra for training camp, but I went to Hofstra for summer camp. So I would always see the Jets and all the stuff that was set up for training camp. I recognize everything.”
New York practiced at Hofstra’s campus from 1968 to 2008. Things changed once the Jets found a new home in their Florham Park facility.
Through it all, Cisco rooted for the Jets. While he never fell in love with any particular player, former quarterback Mark Sanchez was one that he name-dropped the most on Wednesday.
“I always lead with Mark Sanchez. He was at the helm, he was super popular, especially in my hometown, around the Latino community, people that I knew,” Cisco said when asked about his favorite Jets player growing up.
Cisco is on a one-year deal with New York this season, so he still has plenty to prove in a new defensive system run by head coach Aaron Glenn.
As things currently stand, though, Glenn remains impressed with what he has seen from the New Yorker.
“Every guy has to have some type of characteristic that fits what we do and what we’re about, and Cisco does,” Glenn said. “Number one, he’s a really, really good person. He’s a really good football player here, he’s a player that can get the ball back for you. He believes in team, and he’s a guy that, when he was at Syracuse, he made a lot of plays on the ball.
“He’s still trying to figure things out when it comes to how we operate, but he’s doing a good job for us, and I’m happy that we got him.”
From Hofstra’s campus in Hempstead to the bright lights of MetLife Stadium, Cisco’s football journey has gone full circle. He’ll have a chance to lead his childhood team to their first playoff appearance in over a decade this season.
It would seem almost too good to be true for the veteran and his family.
