Contributed by Andrew Clucas
A seasonal internship in the NFL’s Equipment department offers a unique experience unlike any other, one in which pace of performance, correctness, and attention to detail is imperative. In return, an intern will gain a variety of skills, as well as a feeling of responsibility and even maturity. Tasks such as laundry, practice setup, packing for road games, working on game days, and even cleaning helmets are all hands-on tasks that will teach interns the value of hard work, time management, and accountability.
It’s an exciting job, but how does one become an intern? Networking and a great resume always help, but it really starts in college. A future intern will often be connected to a football team or a different athletic team, and connections gained there help make introductions that could pay off with a job. Sometimes a student majoring in sports management will make the cut. Eventually, for a lucky few, a seasonal internship can be a stepping stone to becoming a full-time assistant. Regardless of the eventual outcome, the path to an NFL internship for equipment happens in various ways.
Esteban Zuniga, a current seasonal intern for the New York Jets’ Equipment department had a direct path to the NFL. Once he started at Texas State University as a student-manager, he immediately grew to love the job. At the time, his boss — Andrew Johnson, then Head Equipment Manager at Texas State — had previous NFL experience with the New York Jets. Zuniga decided to follow his boss’s path to fulfill his own goals. In July 2022, Zuniga accepted a summer internship with the Jets before coming back as a seasonal intern in April 2023. Zuniga stressed that he benefitted from his work, stating, “We help the equipment team, the equipment team helps us.” This year is now his second full season with the Jets, in large part due to his prior experience, interpersonal relationships, and an excellent work ethic.
Tristan Greene is a seasonal Equipment intern working a second year for the Los Angeles Chargers. His experience again started in college as a student manager for four years at Colorado State University. At the time, Matthew Lesser, Assistant Athletic Director of Equipment and Operations, helped Greene earn a summer internship with the Atlanta Falcons in 2021. After an early graduation at the end of the fall semester of 2022, Greene accepted a seasonal internship with the Los Angeles Chargers in May 2023. When talking about his leap to the NFL, Greene stated that he needed to “learn fast and get into a rhythm fast.” He’s right. The quicker one can figure out how to perform at a high level, the better off they will be over the course of a season.
Garrett Lynde, currently a first-year Equipment Manager Fellow at the Los Angeles Rams, managed to get a job during the COVID pandemic. Everything fell into place in 2020 at the University of Wyoming when a player that Lynde knew connected him to his then boss, JD Jordan, Assistant Athletic Director of Equipment Operations. Lynde grew to love his hands-on experience as a student-manager at Wyoming which then led to further discussions about possibly working in the NFL. After deep discussions with Jordan, who was well connected in the NFL through his own previous internships, Lynde landed a summer internship with the Los Angeles Rams and Denver Broncos in the summers of 2022 and 2023, respectively. After graduating in May 2024, Lynde is back with the Rams in his first full-season internship in the NFL. Lynde found that interning in the NFL can allow for opportunities to specialize in certain areas, such as protective equipment, football preparation, and practice facilitation.
After the intern gets the job, networking becomes a major way to promote and build upon interpersonal relationships in the sports industry. Establishing and maintaining connections with bosses, coworkers, and peers is a vital task for those who want to continue this line of work. Greene emphasized that interns should “take advantage of every opportunity you get, because your boss will notice that and remember if you took initiative.” Being curious and asking questions is one way to demonstrate a high level of attentiveness in this field. As Lynde highlighted, "It is imperative to learn from coworkers, bosses, and take everything in to prepare yourself for the next step in your career.” He’s right. Learn everything that you can about the job — you never know when something you worked on will be of vital use.
There is not one right way to become the next seasonal intern for any given NFL team. Leverage your connections, and once you have the job, work hard and learn everything you can about the profession, the team, and your co-workers and managers — many of whom started out as interns themselves. If you play your cards right, you will have a fantastic experience and maybe, just maybe, a permanent career in the NFL.
Edited by Scott Granneman for PFEMS.com.