Austin Jackson – December 7, 2023
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Thursday, December 7, 2023
OL Austin Jackson
(You talked to us on Tuesday. Did you have an inkling that this was in the works?) – “No. I knew there were conversations being had but I really found out this was getting really close yesterday morning for the most part.”
(What emotions do you have now that the ink is dry?) – “I’m excited. I’m excited and extremely grateful. If you know my journey here, it’s been one with a lot of, I don’t know, I guess stuff to remember. There’s been a lot that went on, but I’m just glad that I got a place that allowed me to work on my craft and get better every day. I’m just looking forward to keep doing that.”
(What were the conversations leading up to it that gave you that idea that it could be coming?) – “They were just negotiations between my agent and upstairs. For the most part it was between them. I was included, of course, but for the most part it was between them. Stuff I probably wouldn’t talk about right now.”
(What made you decide, hey, you know what, let me sign now instead of doing what some folks might do and carry it into unrestricted free agency and take a bunch of LeBron type meetings?) – “For me, I like this organization and I like where we’re at right now. I like where the focus is here right now. I think it kind of aligns with what I want to be still as a football player in this league and also further in life. I think everything just kind of aligned up. When I prayed about it and talked to my family, it worked out for me really well.”
(You don’t really know when a new coaching staff and regime takes over, you don’t know where their loyalties are going to lie. Especially if they’re not the ones who brought you in. When Head Coach Mike McDaniel and this staff got here, how much did it mean to you that they said I don’t care about those first few years, I want to see for myself who Austin Jackson is?) – “It meant a lot. He definitely took the time to really see who I was as a player with his own eyes, like you said. I appreciate that. It’s definitely – people could’ve ran with whatever they thought they knew about coming in here to our situation at the time. He really just took the time to sit down with me, sit down and talk with the team. He’s given me every opportunity and every tool to be great, so I’m thankful for that. It makes me really work hard, and I appreciate that.”
(How did you celebrate?) – “Well I didn’t really get to celebrate. I got told that I would sign this morning like yesterday night. So last night was talking to everybody on the phone. Then I’m going to be tired tonight because it’s a Wednesday practice. I’ll find some time to celebrate later.”
(You talk about the support you feel from Head Coach Mike McDaniel. QB Tua Tagovailoa was up here five minutes ago. He said that might not always have been the case from some of the coaching that you had. Can you speak on that? What you had to go through earlier in your career?) – “So earlier in my career, I was the fifth tackle taken in the first round. First-round draft pick. I had high expectations. I had high expectations and every time I didn’t perform, it was noted and highlighted. It was very much so highlighted, to say the least. But that just made me a better football player at the end of the day. I’m very tough. I understand this is football. There are certain things that are done in football. The only thing you can do is not take it too personal. So I just moved on from that, took what I needed to get better, and got better.”
(I don’t mean to drag up those first years too much, but for the biggest skeptics outside the organization, what were people not seeing in those first two years that if they saw behind the scenes what would have altered their opinion?) – “That’s a tough question. They didn’t see my at my full potential. Point blank period. I’m always going to point the finger at myself first. I think there were some things I could’ve done better. There were some things I could’ve done to be better in my first two years, all on my own that I could’ve done, that I’ve learned how to do now. It’s really just learning and not staying complacent. You have to stay hungry so you can get better, which is what I try to do.”
(What was the reaction from your offensive line teammates?) – “Yeah, everyone was pretty excited. Lots of smiles and hugs. Everyone want’s some money for some dinner. (laughter) It’s been good energy. Those guys are really happy for me. I’m appreciative of that.”
(In college, the head coach tries to get three guys all agree to return together. Is that going down with C Connor Williams and OL Rob Hunt? Have you been asked to recruit these guys back?) – “Not yet. Shoot, I just signed, so I’m sure that’s coming soon.”
(Are there any hints that you want to give QB Tua Tagovailoa publicly about a possible gift?) – “No, I actually have his gift and I know what it is and I want it to be a surprise. I can’t give you that one now. But we can talk about it when we do it for sure.”
(How did you get his gift already?) – “I’ve been talking about it for a while. I think I brought it up to the o-line a couple weeks ago actually when December started. As soon as December started, I got in the Christmas mood this year.”
(Mike McDaniel told us about an interaction between you and T Terron Armstead last offseason when he told you, you could be special, you could be different. Do you remember that interaction and what the conversation was?) – “Yeah. Last offseason I got the opportunity to play tackle again. So with Terron coming in playing left, I’d be able to play right. So I remember I sat down with Terron, Frank Smith, and Mike McDaniel the day Terron got here. Terron was just really adamant about who I could be in this league. Everybody was. We all talked about the stuff that needs to get done, the type of program we wanted and expectations. It was a great conversation between all of us because I really felt like I had a good opportunity to handle everything on my end, which is all I wanted for me to be able to do everything I needed to do to benefit and help the team. That definitely was a great talk for us. We’ve had a lot of interactions since then for sure.”
(Have you seen any of the same similarities with OL Liam Eichenberg and his approach? Someone who also has to be aligned maybe at times early in his career.) – “Yeah, his approach has been spot on. You have to show up every day and compete and get better. The game is always everchanging. Coaches are drawing up new plays and dealing with new situations all the time. So being present every single day and allowing yourself to take in new information is huge. He does it very well, and he’s able to take it in and go perform at a high level as well. As long as he keeps doing that, he’ll be great.”
(Did a family member have a cool reaction when you filled them in last night?) – “Yeah. Well, everybody is just super happy and excited. It feels like everybody kind of screams when they first hear it. Nothing ridiculous. No one got up and ran around the house or anything. I’m sure I’ll get some reactions today when I get back on my phone.”
(It has to be a massive relief for you not to have to carry this into the offseason?) – “Yeah, it definitely is something to be grateful for. Definitely was supposed to go into free agency and deal with that whole process. I will have some more time to be in my shoes and come up with a great plan for the offseason.”
(You went into your profession at 20 years old. Head Coach Mike McDaniel was speaking earlier about how difficult that is for someone. How have you matured since then?) – “I’ve matured a lot. I’ve matured a lot. I think one, I was mature coming in, but there’s a lot of stuff going on and it’s at a very fast pace. No one is really stopping to catch you up. It’s things you should kind of know already. I went through a lot of those things and learned a lot of things that you should know. I’m glad I made that decision to go in early. I’m glad I had that faith in myself, and I still do.”
