Colorado Rockies: Why Nolan Arenado owns a New York Jets jersey

Among the contents of Nolan Arenado’s locker inside the Colorado Rockies clubhouse is a New York Jets jersey.

That, on the surface, may seem strange for a Southern California guy who is an All-Star third baseman for the Colorado Rockies (and playing in the heart of Denver Broncos country) to be the owner of an East Coast football team jersey. However, there is a story behind it. You see, it’s more about the player’s name on the jersey and the connection with him than the team itself.

Not long after Sam Darnold was drafted third overall by the Jets in the 2018 NFL draft, Arenado made the purchase of a Darnold Jets jersey. So what’s the connection? It all goes back to southern California and Arenado’s support of Darnold, a graduate of San Clemente High School, just over 18 miles from Arenado’s alma mater of El Toro High School.

“I’m rooting for him. I don’t really have a favorite team, but I really want to see him do well,” Arenado said on Tuesday afternoon before the Rockies faced the Pittsburgh Pirates in the second game of a three-game series at Coors Field.

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Southern California guys stick together, especially when it’s a guy like Darnold who went on to star at the University of Southern California. It just so happens that Arenado, who calls himself a “huge Trojans fan,” was in the stands for the 2017 Rose Bowl when the Trojans nipped Penn State as the clock expired with a 46-yard field goal to post a dramatic 52-49 win. In that game, Darnold threw for five touchdowns and 453 yards.

Check out the video below of Arenado in the Rose Bowl stands wearing a Trojans jersey and celebrating the USC win roughly halfway through the interview that aired on Intentional Talk.

Now past his short holdout to open training camp, Darnold is locked in a battle to win the starting quarterback role for the Jets as a rookie. There is no doubt that a certain Platinum Glove-winning third baseman is pulling for him to not only get the job but also conquer the AFC East and beyond.