Jets Head Coach Glenn Optimistic Kris Boyd Will Make a Full Recovery After NYC Shooting

Jets head coach Aaron Glenn revealed that he has been in contact with defensive back Kris Boyd and feels certain the player will recover well after suffering a gunshot wound in midtown Manhattan in the early hours of Sunday.

Glenn noted that Boyd, who is hospitalized, was “in good spirits” during their recent conversation.

“That gives me comfort, is that his mood is upbeat,” Glenn said Wednesday. “His wife and his kid, they’re in good spirits and he is expected to recover fully.”

Glenn was unsure when Boyd might be released the hospital, where he is reported as in critical but steady condition.

“Not certain at the moment,” he added. “Yet I must mention, from our conversation, his attitude was encouraging. Once more, that reassures me, that he feels like that and he expresses himself so positively.”

Authorities issued surveillance images Monday of a suspect in the attack on the player. What prompted the attack is currently under review and authorities said it’s not clear if Boyd was targeted. There were no additional victims according to reports.

The attack took place in the early morning on Sunday morning in the area between the famous arena and Times Square. Boyd, in his late twenties, was taken to Bellevue Hospital after being shot in the abdomen, police said. The shooter fled the scene.

Glenn mentioned Boyd has occupied his thinking “a great deal” since learning of the incident. He further stated that Boyd and his wife recently welcomed a newborn.

“My initial concern, he has a new baby,” Glenn remarked. “I thought of his spouse, I’m thinking about his kid and I hope he recovers fully. Those thoughts dominated my thinking.

“A certain process is underway, I’ll keep private, but I am pleased that he’s going to come out of this thing really, really well.”

Boyd was inactive during the current season, his first with the Jets, after going on the season-ending injured reserve list on mid-August with an injury to his shoulder that required surgery.

He signed with New York as a free agent in spring and was projected as an important component of the team’s updated special teams under the coach and ST coordinator Chris Banjo. But Boyd was injured during a practice session on August 2 and had to be helped off.

Boyd continued to be present throughout the season while working his way back.

“He has stayed engaged with the team,” Glenn stated. “Certainly, he is a regular at our matches. He’s fully engaged. To be one of the top special teams players in this league, he has been instrumental in guiding others.”

Boyd, hailing from the Lone Star State, spent his initial four years with Minnesota after getting drafted in the seventh round by the Vikings out of UT in 2019. He signed with Arizona in 2023 and then joined Houston’s practice squad subsequently. Boyd inked a single-season agreement for $1.6 million with the Jets in March.