The new-look New York Jets underwent an Extreme Makeover: Locker Room Edition during the offseason.
Players such as star wide receiver Garrett Wilson, cornerback Sauce Gardner and new quarterback Justin Fields reporting for the team’s training camp Tuesday were arriving at the Jets’ facility in Florham Park, New Jersey, to a fully renovated locker room with some state-of-the-art upgrades.
In a release on its website, which also included a drone-footage tour, the team announced it added 92 customized lockers along with several other amenities, including a barbershop, a larger sauna and a brightly lit 2,000-pound 3D Jets ceiling logo in the middle of the locker room.
The upgrades, which the team said had been in the works for a few years, came after a players poll released by the NFL Players Association in February gave the Jets a D-plus for their locker room, ranking 26th in the league. The team moved into its current facility in 2008. Woody Johnson received an F and was the lowest-ranked owner. The team received an overall ranking of 29th.
“We take pride in having a first-class environment for the players,” Robert Mastroddi, the Jets’ senior vice president of security and facility operations, told the team’s website. “These upgrades will certainly provide more comfort, but they also will help with wellness, efficiency and ultimately performance. There is a commitment to winning and that’s where this all derived from.”
The Jets, who have the NFL’s longest active playoff drought at 14 seasons, have a new general manager in Darren Mougey and head coach in Aaron Glenn. The two revamped the roster this offseason by infusing more youth — moves that included releasing veterans such as Aaron Rodgers, Davante Adams, C.J. Mosley, Greg Zuerlein and Thomas Morstead.
The new lockers, designed by the Texas-based Longhorn Locker Company, have fully automated video screens — the Jets say they’re the first pro or college team to have them — that include the players’ headshots, names, hometowns and colleges.
There also are three separate fans to dry their helmets, shoulder pads and cleats in an effort to reduce moisture and lower risks of staph infections.
Mastroddi said the Jets are also the first team to have an on-site barbershop that includes two vintage barber chairs.
“We want to make it comfortable, keep players in the building because they want to be there,” Mastroddi said. “We’re offering them all the amenities that they would have to go outside to get.”
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