If Bill Belichick training camp quotes are the NFL’s Groundhog Day, then hearing seemingly every player is in the “best shape of their lives” is like the leaves outside unofficially turning orange.
Most NFL training camps begin this week. They are an earnest grind toward the regular season designed to test elite football players’ mental and physical limits and bring them closer together before all of the action counts in the standings. Of course, after a long offseason, someone almost always professes they feel better than ever. They lost weight. They gained weight. They got stronger. They did something, anything, no one expected them to.
By basic logic, this is simply impossible. Not everyone can be in the “best shape of their lives.” And even if they actually are healthier and better, it’s a rote cliche that ultimately means nothing when it’s not between the lines of a meaningful game. It’s summer optimism in the form of a short update. It’s just something NFL players and coaches say this time of year.
Nothing more.
Here’s a running list of all the NFL players who are apparently in the best shape of their lives as 2023 training camps open.