A surprising New York Jets rookie has taken the world by storm.
A panel of Jets reporters who work for the team was recently asked which Jet stood out during the voluntary OTA portion of the offseason.
“Undrafted free agent WR Jamaal Pritchett has made a few splash plays in the three open practices and has been in the rotation at punt returner,” Jets team reporter Ethan Greenberg said.
Other Jets Insiders Are Certainly Taking Notice
ESPN’s Rich Cimini also recently highlighted Pritchett as an “early sleeper” to keep an eye out for.
“A rookie to watch is punt returner Jamaal Pritchett, an undrafted free agent from South Alabama. He’s ‘doing a phenomenal job,’ according to special teams coordinator Chris Banjo,” Cimini revealed in a column.
“Pritchett is 5-8, 175 pounds, but he has 4.42-second speed in the 40-yard dash. He scored once last season on a punt return. Incumbent Xavier Gipson is the favorite to win the job, but expect the rookie to push him,” Cimini added.
If Pritchett is looking to steal a job this summer, Gipson is the one to have his eye on. The former undrafted free agent made the Jets’ roster two years ago based on his special-teams ability and for being a contributor on offense. Pritchett will be looking to make the same case over the coming months.
Gipson burst on the scene as a rookie and showed a lot of flash. However, last season he didn’t perform as well, putting his roster spot in jeopardy heading into this offseason.
Pritchett Eyebrow Raising Weight Gain Was Nothing More Than a Typo
Following the 2025 NFL draft, the Jets signed Pritchett to join the 90-man roster.
In the press release, the Jets announced his weight as 175 pounds at the time of signing. However, over the coming weeks, the Jets made updates to the official roster sheet, reflecting some weight gains and losses among the players.
None stood out as much as Pritchett. He was one of the updates made to the roster sheet as someone who weighed 235 pounds. That would have been a ridiculous 60-pound weight gain over a very short period.
The Jets have finally corrected that on the official roster sheet, and he has returned to his listed 175-pound weight.
Conveniently, the Jets need help at both wide receiver and in the return game this offseason. That leaves the door wide open for Pritchett or one of these other talented receivers to make a strong impression and to stake their claim for a gig.
On the surface, Pritchett is fighting an uphill battle. He is a very small receiver both in height (5-foot-9) and in weight (175 pounds). On top of that, he has small school roots from his time at the Division 2 level, Tuskegee (2021), and from his tenure at South Alabama (2022–2024).
If you’re to believe Jets head coach Aaron Glenn’s words from rookie minicamp earlier this offseason, none of that matters.
“I told those guys, it really doesn’t matter where you’re from, even what you did,” Glenn explained via Jets senior contributor Randy Lange. “The thing is, they all have done a great job to get in the building. And once you get in the building, you have a shot.”
