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Nolan Carroll tripped on sideline by Jets' strength coach Sal Alosi

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Update 6/22/2015: Alosi is once again in the news, but this time for a very different reason. According to reports P. Diddy was arrested for  allegedly attempting to assault Alosi with a kettlebell at a UCLA workout. Alosi is now a strength coach with the Bruins.

Miami Dolphins defensive back Nolan Carroll was tripped as he ran along the New York Jets' sideline, attempting to cover a punt. Gunners on punt coverage routinely run along the sideline as they are pushed toward the boundary by blockers. This time, however, Carroll was interfered with and tripped by New York Jets strength and conditioning coach Sal Alosi.

Initially, the culprit was unidentified, but Alosi apologized in a statement issued by the team following the game.

"I made a mistake that showed a total lapse in judgment," Alosi said "My conduct was inexcusable and unsportsmanlike and does not reflect what this organization stands for."

Two days after the incident, Alosi was suspended for the remainder of the season and fined $25,000 by the Jets. The NFL also levied a $100,000 fine against the Jets for the incident. According to reports, Alosi told inactive players to stand shoulder-to-shoulder and form a wall on the sideline.

( The original post from December 12, 2010 has been updated)

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Jets Suspend Assistant Coach for Rest of Season for Tripping Dolphins Player

Assostant coach Sal Alosi of the New York Jets is seen in a 2009 photo. (AP)

Turns out this was one costly trip for Sal Alosi.

The New York Jets assistant coach who tripped a Miami Dolphins player during a game was suspended by the team Monday night without pay for the rest of the season, including the playoffs, and fined an additional $25,000.

Alosi, the strength and conditioning coach, began serving his suspension immediately and will have no access to the team's practice facility.

"I accept responsibility for my actions and respect the team's decision," Alosi said in a statement.

General manager Mike Tannenbaum said Alosi will also not be allowed to interact with any players or coaches "as it pertains to his job function." He added that the team spoke with the NFL about the incident throughout the day, and the league will issue no further discipline.

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"Hopefully we're going to learn from what happened yesterday and take full responsibility for it," Tannenbaum said. "We're really disappointed with Sal, with what happened, and we're going to hold him accountable for his actions."

Alosi stuck out his left knee on the sideline and tripped Dolphins cornerback Nolan Carroll, who was covering a punt in the third quarter of Miami's 10-6 win Sunday.

"I let everybody down yesterday with my actions," said Alosi, fighting back tears during a news conference earlier Monday. "My actions were inexcusable and irresponsible."

Carroll, a rookie, fell to the turf and lay there for several minutes before walking off.

"That's a thing that has no business in this league," coach Rex Ryan said, "or anywhere else."

Alosi said he apologized by phone to both Carroll and Dolphins coach Tony Sparano on Sunday, and spoke to Ryan, Tannenbaum and Jets owner Woody Johnson about the situation.

Ryan issued a public apology to Carroll and the Dolphins at his news conference.

"I was stunned that something like this actually took place," Ryan said.

Ryan added that he admired the fact Alosi never denied what he did, and "that he stood up and he took responsibility."

"I know I'll get killed for it," Ryan said. "There's no place for it in football, without question, but he made a mistake and he admitted it."

Alosi was standing next to several inactive players right on the edge of the sideline as Carroll came zipping by, leading some to speculate that perhaps the incident was planned.

"We don't coach that," Tannenbaum said, echoing earlier comments by Ryan and Alosi.

Alosi was first with the Jets from 2001-05, then worked for the Falcons for one season before he was hired by then-New York coach Eric Mangini in 2007 to be the head strength and conditioning coach.

Now with the Cleveland Browns, Mangini described Alosi as "a good person."

"He made a dumb mistake," Mangini said. "If he could take it back, I'm sure he would. It's disappointing it happened. I'm sorry for the whole situation."

Alosi will be replaced for the rest of the season by his assistant, Bryan Dermody.

Alosi was a linebacker for Hofstra from 1996-2000, and even earned an award for sportsmanship and fair play both on and off the field during his college career.

"You're asking me to give you a logical explanation to an illogical act," he said. "I can't do that. I can't explain that."

Carroll, who returned in the fourth quarter, twice broke his right leg while playing: once ending his senior season in high school and again in his senior season at Maryland.

"I'm extremely thankful that my actions yesterday didn't result in any significant injury to Nolan or any other players," Alosi said.

Carroll's mother, Jennifer, is Florida's lieutenant governor-elect. She was disappointed to find out it was a strength and conditioning coach who did it.

"Here's a person that's on the team that understands the injuries of these players incurred day in and day out just from normal wear and tear," she said. "He's supposed to be healing these players and making them 100 percent to go out and execute and do their jobs."

She was also thankful her son escaped serious injury.

"It could have been a debilitating situation," she said. "If it were lower to his knee, he could have busted a knee cap. It could have put him out for the season or even for his career."

Dolphins linebacker Karlos Dansby took a swipe at Ryan after the game when he heard about the incident.

"He's just taking after the head coach, man. It all trickles downhill," Dansby said. "That's how I look at it, it trickles downhill. The head coach, he opened a can of worms over there and now he's got to fix it."

It's the latest embarrassing incident for the team that starred on HBO's "Hard Knocks" during the summer.

The Jets were investigated by the NFL in September for their treatment of a female television reporter. The league responded to the situation involving Ines Sainz of TV Azteca by developing a workplace conduct program, underwritten by Johnson.

A few weeks later, wide receiver Braylon Edwards was arrested for drunken driving.

Star cornerback Darrelle Revis was ticketed for speeding while driving to the team's facility for a meeting before a practice in October.

Ryan hopes this latest incident doesn't negatively affect the perception of the team.

"This is a terrible thing that happened, there's no doubt," he said. "We had a DUI, I know we had all that stuff. I'd rather not rehash all that, but it would be an unfortunate thing if that were the case."

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Watch CBS News

Ex-Jets Coach That Tripped Dolphins Player Gets Job With UConn

June 1, 2018 / 2:43 PM EDT / CBS Miami

Follow CBSMIAMI.COM:   Facebook  |  Twitter

MANSFIELD (CBSMiami/AP) — Sometimes, a bad decision will live with a person for a long, long time.

The University of Connecticut has hired a former NFL coach to the men's basketball team who made national headlines for tripping a player.

UConn announced Wednesday it has hired Sal Alosi as the team's director of human performance.

The 41-year-old will replace Ed Streit, who was last season's strength and conditioning coach.

Alosi was suspended and fined $25,000 by the New York Jets in December of 2010 after he tripped Miami Dolphins player Nolan Carroll while Carroll was covering a punt.

He was later hired by the University of California, Los Angeles, where he got into a confrontation with Sean "P. Diddy" Combs in 2015.

UConn men's basketball coach Dan Hurley says Alosi has learned from his experiences and will bring "intensity and toughness" to the team.

The details of his contract have not been released.

(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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Jets Coach Sal Alosi Trips Player During Game

Alosi apologized and called his actions 'inexcusable.'

Dec. 13, 2010— -- New York Jets assistant coach Sal Alosi admitted to intentionally tripping Miami Dolphins player Nolan Carroll, who was running along the sidelines while covering a punt during Sunday's game.

"I made a mistake that showed a total lapse in judgment. My conduct was inexcusable and unsportsmanlike and does not reflect what this organization stands for," Alosi said in a statement.

"The team is reviewing the situation and is looking into the appropriate next steps," Jets public relations chief Bruce Speight said in a statement Sunday night.

The video shows Alosi leaning in and using his knee to trip Carroll, who went tumbling to the ground on a punt in the third quarter. Carroll was not injured during the play.

"I just remember running and then next thing I know I'm on the ground, 'What happened?'" Carroll said to ESPN . "I remember I split the double-team and after that couldn't tell you what happened."

The Jets lost the game 10-6.

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Nolan Carroll Tripped By Sal Alosi: Jets Assistant Coach Intentionally Trips Dolphins Player (VIDEO)

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Dolphins cornerback Nolan Carroll was tripped by the New York Jets' strength and conditioning coach on the sideline while covering a punt in the third quarter of Miami's 10-6 victory Sunday.

The rookie fell to the turf while running down the sideline, and the Jets' Sal Alosi later admitted he interfered with Carroll.

"I made a mistake that showed a total lapse in judgment," Alosi said in a statement released by the Jets about 2 1/2 hours after the game. "My conduct was inexcusable and unsportsmanlike and does not reflect what this organization stands for."

Carroll, who had an interception in the first quarter to set up a field goal, lay on the field for several minutes before walking off. He got back into the game in the fourth period.

Carroll said he was not angry about the incident.

"We got a W. That's not my problem," Carroll said. "That's the Jets' problem. We just move on. I felt contact, but I've got to watch film. I can't comment on it right now."

Jets coach Rex Ryan said he was unaware of the situation until informed by Bruce Speight, the team's director of media relations, after the loss. Ryan said the Jets would investigate the matter.

Then Alosi confessed.

"I spoke to coach (Tony) Sparano and Nolan Carroll to apologize before they took off," Alosi said. He added he apologized to Ryan, general manager Mike Tannenbaum and owner Woody Johnson.

"I accept responsibility for my actions as well as any punishment that follows," he said.

Alosi could face discipline from the Jets and from the NFL.

"The only thing I know ... is that my guys were screaming up there at the time," Sparano said. "When Nolan was down on the ground and they showed the thing, somebody from that sideline stuck a foot out. I talked to the referee. I didn't see it at that particular time. I told him at that point that it was on tape and the people upstairs are telling me that's what they see."

Sparano said he would send the film to the league.

"I don't know what else can be done," Sparano said. "There was a player down on the sideline and that's not good. We're trying to take care of players in this game."

Alosi was with the Jets from 2001-2005, then worked for the Falcons for one season. He returned to the Jets in 2007.

Alosi was a linebacker for Hofstra from 1996-2000.

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Jets Suspend Coach for Tripping Dolphins Player: Report

The nfl will reportedly take no further action, by todd wright • published december 13, 2010 • updated on december 15, 2010 at 2:49 pm.

In the heavy-handed world of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell , you'd think the league's version of the death penalty would apply to New York Jets assistant coach Sal Alosi .

Instead, he was sent on an early vacation.

Alosi reportedly will miss the next three games and the postseason (if the Jets even make the playoffs) for tripping Miami Dolphins DB Nolan Carroll as he ran down to cover a punt in Sunday's Miami win.

The punishment was handed down by the Jets, not Goodell, but the NFL signed off on the suspension after saying earlier in the day it would review the incident in conjunction with the Jets..

The intentional trip was caught on national TV and has been played over and over again because of the egregious nature of the act.

Alosi stuck out his knee as Carroll ran by, and the player immediately tumbled to the ground, probably more in shock than anything. Alosi apologized after the game and said he "wasn't thinking" when he decided to cheat for his team.

Most thought Alosi, the Jets strength and conditioning coach, would be fired considering that players have been fined and even threatened with suspension for legal hits on the field.

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Apparently, the stringent rules governing player safety and sportsmanship don't apply to coaches on the sideline.

ESPN's Adam Schefter is also reporting Alosi was fined $25,000 for his actions, but he will still keep his job.

What's to stop a coach from sticking his leg out and stopping a player breaking away for a score if all that will happen is a suspension?

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Contrite Jets Suspend Coach After Sideline Trip of Dolphin

By Greg Bishop

• Dec. 13, 2010

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Minutes before the Jets’ strength coach, Sal Alosi, expressed remorse Monday for purposely tripping an opponent on the sideline during a game the day before, Dicky Maegle answered his telephone in Katy, Tex.

Maegle predicted exactly what Alosi would say in his defense: that he was not thinking, that he made a mistake, that it took place in the moment. Maegle knew this because something similar happened to him in the 1954 Cotton Bowl, and when he watched the replay of Alosi’s gross misconduct, the memories came rushing back.

“People don’t understand,” said Maegle, 76, who changed the spelling of his name from Moegle to make it phonetically correct. “It’s not funny. When someone blindsides you like that, you could be injured for life. That’s why they put the chalk lines on the field. To keep your butt behind them.”

After spending Monday afternoon engaged in damage control, an art they have practiced with relatively high frequency this season, the Jets punished Alosi. They suspended Alosi without pay for the remainder of this season, including any possible playoff games, and fined him $25,000. General Manager Mike Tannenbaum said he did not expect further discipline from the N.F.L.

“We take full responsibility,” Tannenbaum said. “We’re going to hold Sal accountable for his actions.”

Alosi said, “I accept responsibility for my actions and respect the team’s decision.”

When asked if the Jets would fire Alosi, Tannenbaum said: “I’m not going to get into hypotheticals. We felt it was the appropriate action to take.”

Alosi became perhaps the first strength coach in league history to draw national attention in season on a Monday — for the wrong reason.He offered another mea culpa from behind the lectern, apologized to Miami cornerback Nolan Carroll and labeled his behavior inexcusable and irresponsible. He added, “You’re asking me to give you a logical explanation for an illogical act.”

Maegle, the victim of another illogical act, had firm ideas on Alosi’s punishment.

“I don’t think they can allow him back on the field for the remainder of the season and maybe the next,” he said before the suspension was announced. “The player didn’t get hurt, but who’s to say he wouldn’t? I’d also fine him.”

In 1954, Maegle played running back for Rice. In the Cotton Bowl against Alabama, with Rice ahead in the second quarter, 7-6, he broke free around right end, juked the future Green Bay quarterback Bart Starr and dashed up what looked like an open sideline.

At least until an Alabama player named Tommy Lewis ran onto the field and tackled Maegle, who finished with 265 rushing yards, a game record at the time, in Rice’s 28-6 triumph. Lewis, Maegle said, appeared to recognize the magnitude of his mistake instantly, as he sat at the end of the bench and dropped his head into his hands.

Soon afterward, Ed Sullivan invited both players to Manhattan to appear on his television show. Maegle went, against his wishes, because Rice wanted the publicity, and he flew on propeller planes from Dallas to Atlanta to Washington to New York.

Maegle said Lewis had apologized after the Cotton Bowl, with tears streaming down his face. Lewis seemed “convivial, nice and polite,” and “very Southern.” Maegle said Lewis told him that he was “so full of Alabama,” he could not stand to watch Maegle score again.

But that went only so far. After the show, Sullivan told Maegle he had booked the two players a single room at the Waldorf Astoria. Maegle requested and received not only separate rooms, but rooms on separate floors.

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“I could have ended my career in a wheelchair,” Maegle said. “I had accepted his apology, but who knows? He might have had a nightmare and thrown me out the window.”

The Dolphins took similar issue with Alosi’s actions after he tripped Carroll, who was covering a punt return in the third quarter. Carroll limped to his sideline but later returned. He told reporters the trip “was not important,” but linebackers Channing Crowder and Karlos Dansby disagreed. Crowder told reporters, “I would have gotten up and broken the old man’s leg” and said it spoke “to the character of the Jets.”

The notion surfaced Monday that the Dolphins’ punt-return gunners had continually run up the Jets’ sideline, out of bounds, and perhaps Alosi and others had been instructed to stand closer to the field, acting like a barricade. Alosi and Jets Coach Rex Ryan denied that.

On Monday afternoon, Alosi, a former Hofstra linebacker in his second stint with the Jets, called the Jets’ owner, Woody Johnson; Miami Coach Tony Sparano; and Tannenbaum. Alosi apologized to Carroll at the stadium on Sunday night. Ryan said he “admired” that Alosi had taken responsibility, but added, “I was stunned that something like this actually took place.”

Alosi took more responsibility than the Jets’ players did for their two-game losing streak. During the hour of news-media availability, only 8 of 53 players answered questions.

And Ryan continued to answer for his team’s lack of discipline, or renegade persona, and he was asked if Alosi’s trip counted as the latest example in a growing body of evidence of bad behavior. Ryan disagreed, calling such reasoning unfortunate.

The Jets have three games to right their season, but the incident is likely to stick to Alosi for far longer. Lewis told The San Antonio Express-News in 2003 that “anyone who knows me, and all of my old teammates, would never dare bring it up.”

“They know that play devastated me,” he said, “and I still have to live with it. I can’t take it away.”

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The Two-Way

Coach trips player in jets-dolphins game.

Wright Bryan

While the game that wasn't was Sunday's big story in the NFL (along with the Patriot's 36-7 pasting of the Bears on a very snowy Soldier Field in Chicago), the Jets-Dolphins game in Miami featured the day's most regrettable moment.

Jets' strength and conditioning coach Sal Alosi was caught by TV cameras tripping Miami's Nolan Carroll as he ran out of bounds on a punt coverage in the third quarter. The NFL said Monday that it is investigating the incident. Alosi has issued a statement apologizing for the trip saying, in part:

"My conduct was inexcusable and unsportsmanlike and does not reflect what this organization stands for. ... I accept responsibility for my actions as well as any punishment that follows."

Carroll had little to say about the incident after the game. But teammate Channing Crowder was incensed. ESPN quotes the Dolphins linebacker saying :

"I wish they'd tripped me. I'd have broken that old man's leg. I didn't see anything. He stuck his leg out and tripped him? He should be ashamed of himself. A grown man from the coaching staff? That's high character."

Fox News dubbed the trip " Goon Over Miami " in a story that said Alosi tried to go incognito during the game:

Alosi, who was wearing a green hat at the time, conspicuously switched to a black hat in the middle of the game. Then he took the hat off altogether.

While the Jets and the NFL try to digest this bizarre event, the Dolphins' can take heart from a the fact that Carroll and the rest of the team walked away from the game with a 10-6 victory .

UPDATE AT 7:37 P.M. ET: The Jets announced later on Monday that Alosi would be immediately suspended without pay for the rest of the season, including the playoffs, and fined an additional $25,000.

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Jets coach Sal Alosi sorry, suspended

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- Four hours after fighting back tears at a news conference, New York Jets strength coach Sal Alosi was suspended without pay for the remainder of the season and fined an additional $25,000 by the team for tripping Miami Dolphins player Nolan Carroll Sunday on the Jets' sideline.

Alosi's ban, effective immediately, includes any playoff games. During the suspension, he will have no access to the team's practice facility and is prohibited from job-related interaction with players and coaches. He can return the day after the season is over. There will be no additional sanctions from the league.

The Jets, who decided on the punishment after consulting with the NFL office, considered termination.

Alosi, shaken and remorseful during a public apology, probably helped his cause by owning up to his mistake.

"Sal feels terrible for what he did, and yet he took ownership, which I respect," Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum said. "It's something we take very seriously here. We're extremely disappointed with what he did. There's no place for it in this game and he knows that. It's our job to hold him accountable."

The Jets haven't made a decision on whether Alosi, 33, will be allowed back on the sideline in 2011, according to Tannenbaum.

"I accept responsibility for my actions and respect the team's decision," Alosi said in a statement released by the team.

Alosi is paid bi-weekly, meaning he could lose two paychecks if the Jets advance one round into the playoffs. Between lost pay and the fine, Alosi stands to lose about $50,000, according to a person familiar with the situation

Earlier in the day, in a five-minute news conference, Alosi said his action was "inexcusable and irresponsible." Asked to explain why he tripped Carroll, a "gunner" who ran out of bounds while covering a punt, Alosi said, "You're asking me to give a logical explanation to an illogical act ... I wasn't thinking. If I could go back and do it again, I'd sure as heck take a step back [from Carroll]."

There was speculation that Alosi may have been instructed to form a human wall on the sideline, a show of force to deter the Dolphins' gunners. Early in the game, another gunner was penalized for running out of bounds by the Jets' bench.

A close examination of the TV replay shows Alosi, backup defensive tackle Marcus Dixon (inactive) and four others in Jets garb, side by side. Alosi, Dixon and an unidentified third person were almost in a wedge formation, their feet practically touching.

Curiously, none of them flinched as Carroll approached at full speed. Alosi leaned forward, extending his left knee as Carroll ran by. Carroll went flying and appeared to be hurt. He got up slowly, but returned to the game. Alosi is the Jets' "get-back" coach. In other words, it's his job to instruct the sideline personnel to stay a safe distance from the action.

Two coaches from teams outside the AFC East, the Jets' division, said such an alignment has been "coached" or "encouraged" by certain clubs. They did not specifically identify the Jets as a known culprit of such practice.

Alosi, Tannenbaum and coach Rex Ryan all maintained that there was no order to form a wall.

"No, that wasn't anything that was instructed," said Alosi, claiming he was so close to the sideline because he wanted to cheer on the players.

Said Tannenbaum, "We don't coach that. Coach [Mike] Westhoff doesn't coach that. Coach Ryan doesn't coach that. We try to follow those rules as closely as possible, the player-safety rules."

Ryan said players, coaches and staffers are told to be ready to scatter on the sideline when the gunner is double teamed -- a technique that often forces the gunner out of bounds. On that play, Carroll was doubled, but no one moved.

In the wake of the interference on Sunday, the NFL will send a memo to all 32 clubs as a reminder that they should adhere to league rules that require players, coaches and other personnel to remain the proper distance from the sidelines, according to league sources.

Ryan, commenting for the first time on the controversy, said he was "stunned" by the trip. A subdued Ryan issued a strong rebuke, saying, "That's a thing that has no business in this league or anywhere else. Sal made a huge mistake. He knows that. I can't remember anything like that ever happening."

Ryan offered a public apology to Carroll and the Dolphins' organization.

"I know I'll get killed for it -- it definitely has no place in football -- but he made a mistake and he admitted it," Ryan said, commending Alosi's remorse.

Alosi, a former football player at Hofstra, nearly choked up as he met with reporters. He read a brief statement and answered a few questions, including: What was going through your head?

"That's the problem; nothing was going through my head," he said. "Had I been thinking, I would've taken a step backward instead of going forward."

This was another blemish on the Jets' image. In September, the organization came under heavy scrutiny for Braylon Edwards ' drunk-driving arrest and the Ines Sainz locker-room incident. The latter resulted in a public rebuke from Commissioner Roger Goodell, who said the Jets acted unprofessionally. As a penalty, owner Woody Johnson was required to subsidize a leaguewide training program for behavior in the work place.

Ryan said the Alosi incident is "a terrible thing," but refused to call it a pattern of bad behavior.

After the game, Carroll said he wasn't angry. But some of his teammates unloaded on Alosi and the Jets.

"They're cheaters," outspoken linebacker Channing Crowder said. "They do what they do. They cheat. They talk junk. But we beat the hell out of them today. ... I wish they'd tripped me. I'd have broken that old man's leg. I didn't see anything. He stuck his leg out and tripped him? He should be ashamed of himself. A grown man from the coaching staff? That's high character."

Running back Ricky Williams said: "It's the Jets right? We're not surprised."

Alosi was first with the Jets from 2001-05, then worked for the Falcons for one season before he was hired by then-New York coach Eric Mangini in 2007 to be the head strength and conditioning coach.

Now with the Cleveland Browns , Mangini described Alosi as "a good person."

"He made a dumb mistake," Mangini said. "If he could take it back, I'm sure he would. It's disappointing it happened. I'm sorry for the whole situation."

Alosi was a linebacker for Hofstra from 1996-2000, and even earned an award for sportsmanship and fair play both on and off the field during his college career.

Carroll twice broke his right leg while playing: once ending his senior season in high school and again in his senior season at Maryland.

"I'm extremely thankful that my actions yesterday didn't result in any significant injury to Nolan or any other players," Alosi said.

Carroll's mother, Jennifer, is Florida's Lt. Gov.-elect. She was disappointed to find out it was a strength and conditioning coach who did it.

"Here's a person that's on the team that understands the injuries of these players incurred day in and day out just from normal wear and tear," Jennifer Carroll said. "He's supposed to be healing these players and making them 100 percent to go out and execute and do their jobs."

She was also thankful her son escaped serious injury.

"It could have been a debilitating situation," she said. "If it were lower to his knee, he could have busted a knee cap. It could have put him out for the season or even for his career."

Rich Cimini covers the Jets for ESPNNewYork.com . You can follow him on Twitter . Information from ESPN's Chris Mortensen and The Associated Press was used in this report.

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Stanford Legend Currently with New York Jets Playing With a Purpose

Dylan grausz | aug 24, 2024.

• Stanford Cardinal
• New York Jets

Once the third overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, former Stanford football star Solomon Thomas’ NFL career has been an interesting one for a guy who came in expecting to make an immediate impact for the then rebuilding San Francisco 49ers. After four years in San Francisco, including a 2020 season in which he tore his ACL in the second game, Thomas' time there came to an end without fully reaching the full potential set for him. However, more than three years after leaving, Thomas will return for the first time as an opposing player with a big chip on his shoulder.

Now a member of the New York Jets, Thomas had himself a career year in 2023, playing in all 17 of the team’s contests while having a career-high five sacks. After the season concluded, Thomas was rewarded with another one-year deal to return to the Jets. He's been open in the past about his mental health struggles, and credited his breakout campaign to working on how to handle that while also making sure that his mindset is always in the right place. And just like his 2023 season, it appears that he has carried that over to 2024 as well, having put together a dominant training camp thus far.

“I learned to love myself through my anxieties and my doubts and worries,” Thomas recently said . “I have also done a lot of personal work, unapologetically. Learning how to be present and not attach myself to the production of this game. It took a lot of work. I am not perfect and still fall back into my old habits, but I am surrounded by people that remind me to live my new way.”

Before joining the Jets, Thomas spent the 2021 season in Las Vegas playing for the Raiders, where he played in all 17 games as a rotational defensive lineman and recorded 3.5 sacks, forced two fumbles and had three tackles for a loss while helping the team clinch their first postseason appearance since 2021. Thomas then signed with the Jets that offseason, reuniting with former 49ers defensive coordinator and current Jets head coach Robert Saleh.

Thomas’ best season in San Francisco came in his rookie year, where he started 12 out of the 14 games he played in and recorded three sacks, 10 tackles for loss and had a fumble recovery. In 2018 and 2019, he had one sack and two sacks respectively, while appearing in all 16 games in both seasons, including helping the 49ers reach Super Bowl LIV in 2019, before getting injured in 2020. Despite his 49ers tenure not fully going according to plan, Thomas is excited to return to the place that he once called home as a new and improved player, ready to show his former team what they are missing.

“San Fran is a second home for me,” Thomas told NewYorkJets.com. “I went to school in that city, and I am excited to get back there. I get to play against one of my best friends in Christian McCaffrey and play in the place I started my career. I get to play my 100th NFL game there. Every game is the same, but I am super excited for this one.”

A hard worker, Thomas will fight for his chance to be even more impactful this year. As opening week approaches, he will do all he can to make sure that he is not only ready to perform at a high level and help bring the Jets to the playoffs, but that he is ready to play with a vengeance when he makes his homecoming trip to Levi’s Stadium on Monday Night Football in week one.

DYLAN GRAUSZ