Kris Boyd returns to Jets facility to surprise teammates weeks after being shot in the abdomen

Kris Boyd walked into the New York Jets practice facility on Wednesday, reuniting with his teammates and coaches less than a month after he was shot outside of a Manhattan restaurant.

Boyd, according to ESPN’s Rich Cimini, attended the special teams meeting and spent much of the day with everyone at the facility. While he’s not fully recovered — edge rusher Jermaine Johnson said he didn’t recognize Boyd at first, and that he was “kind of limping around,” — it marked a huge milestone moment for the cornerback.

“I’ve had friends that didn’t survive gunshot wounds, so to be able to see him walking around with a smile on his face, be able to [talk] with him, I mean, it’s always a blessing,” Johnson said. “[Guns] aren’t toys, and they’re very deadly, so the fact that he walked away from it is a blessing.”

Boyd was shot during a dispute outside of a Manhattan restaurant early on Nov. 16. He was there with two other Jets players — linebacker Jamien Sherwood and wide receiver Irvin Charles — and another friend, and an altercation broke out between them and another group apparently about their clothes.

Boyd was transported to a local hospital and initially listed in critical but stable condition with a bullet in his right lung. He underwent multiple procedures to remove the bullet, and was later released from the hospital. Last week, though, Boyd returned to the hospital due to “health issues.” It’s not clear what those issues were, but he was then released soon after.

An investigation is still ongoing, and no arrests have been made.

This is Boyd’s first season with the Jets, who he signed a one-year, $1.6 million deal with this past offseason. He was placed on season-ending injured reserve with a shoulder injury during training camp, however, and has yet to make his debut.

“It was awesome to see him,” tight end Jeremy Ruckert said. “It’s not something that we at all thought or knew was going to happen today, so it was a good surprise to see him with such high hopes and positive energy … It was a cool moment for us to get back around him and for him to be around us.”

The Jets will enter Sunday’s game with the New York Dolphins with a 3-9 record. They have already been eliminated from postseason contention for a 15th straight season, too.

While Boyd still has a ways to go with his recovery, and his football future is still very much unknown, getting back with his teammates was a huge moment for everyone.

“I’m pretty sure every single person that walked by gave him a dap up, a high five or a semi-hug,” defensive tackle Harrison Phillips said.