The Jets suffered an unspeakable tragedy days before training camp when passing game specialist Greg Knapp died following a bike accident.
Knapp died five days after he was hit by a car while riding his bicycle in Northern California. He was 58. Knapp is survived by his wife, Charlotte, and three daughters.
Robert Saleh hired Knapp, a longtime quarterback mentor, this offseason to join the Jets and aid Zach Wilson’s development. Knapp and Wilson developed a relationship during the spring, making his death a tough pill for New York’s rookie to swallow.
“At first it was shock. Complete shock,” Wilson said Friday. “Just because I had just been talking to him the day before, right before the incident happened. It was almost like I didn’t believe it. I felt like I could have just called him right then on the phone and he would have answered. It really hit later on when I was like, ‘Jeez, this is rough.’ I was just praying for him and his family and everyone else involved that we could kind of get through this together.”
Knapp was an NFL coach for 24 years prior to joining the Jets, working most recently as the Falcons quarterbacks coach from 2018-2020. Knapp also worked with the quarterbacks for the Broncos, Raiders, Texans, Seahawks and 49ers.
“It’s tough, man,” Wilson said. “Life is a precious thing.”
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