Arizona’s race for the state’s 1st Congressional District has produced an unusual matchup with a direct Jets link: former New York kicker Jay Feely and Amish Shah, who served as the team doctor during Feely’s two seasons in New York.
Feely, the Republican nominee, won the primary and will move on to the general election in November. Shah is the Democratic candidate. The two crossed paths years ago with the Jets, when Feely played for the team from 2008-09 and Shah was part of the organization as its doctor.
Feely was 50 during his Jets run and spent two seasons with the club, including the 2009 team that reached the AFC championship game. Over 31 games, he made 54 of 64 field goal attempts, good for 84.4%, with a long of 55 yards. He also converted all 71 of his extra-point tries.
His NFL career lasted 14 years before he retired after the 2014 season, his only year with the Chicago Bears. After that, Feely moved into broadcasting, working as a color analyst for college football on CBS Sports Network in 2015 and later taking on NFL duties for the network in 2017. He left CBS after the 2023 season to launch his campaign for Congress.
Shah, 49, brings a longer political résumé to the race. He has run for Congress multiple times and served in the Arizona House of Representatives for District 5 from 2023 to 2024, as well as for District 24 from 2019 to 2023.
It’s a rare twist: two people who once worked under the same NFL umbrella are now set to meet in a political contest in Arizona.
In Other News...
Kerby Joseph Just Put Lions Fans On Edge Before Camp
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Kerby Joseph is one of the names drawing the most attention after a knee injury cost him most of last season and left the Lions handling his return carefully. He sounded upbeat about his status entering camp, but Dan Campbell made it clear the real test comes once the work ramps up and the knee is pushed in the middle of practice, which is why this one is still worth watching closely. [Read more 🡒]
Lions Rookies Are Arriving With One Huge Question Hanging Over Them
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Miller has already spent offseason work sharpening technique and getting more comfortable with the playbook, which is the kind of foundation the Lions want from a young lineman before the games start counting. Moores path looks a little more crowded on the edge, where veteran D.J. Wonnum is expected to open the season in front of him and Detroit has added more bodies at the position, leaving the rookie to fight for snaps in passing situations while the rest of the depth chart sorts itself out. [Read more 🡒]
Are The Lions Really The NFLs Most Talented Roster
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Penei Sewell and Jahmyr Gibbs both stood out in those rankings, but the broader takeaway is even more striking for Detroit: a lot of the names carrying the roster are still very young. That makes the Lions easy to believe in for now, but it also leaves the real question hanging over the group as the season approaches, because talent at the top is one thing and proving that a younger core can absorb the loss of players like Alex Anzalone and Taylor Decker is another. [Read more 🡒]