A Winning Mind Set With Saints NFL Rookie Receiver Juwan Johnson
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Welcome to the All In Podcast. I'm your host, Rod Watson. I'm a proud father, husband, son, former athlete, and business owner of the LA VIPH&T. The All In Podcast is a dynamic audio experience where we interview the brightest minds in sports, entertainment, and business. Join me as I host real conversations with industry elite top performers that foster growth and development, which leads to success in life and business for our listeners.

Being all in is my mantra and it's what I live by. I hope that you find value in this podcast and I look forward to connecting with you on the other side. Let's go.

Hi, I want to welcome you guys to the All In Podcast. I'm your host, Rod Watson. Today we have a very special guest, someone who I'm excited to have on this podcast today, New Orleans Saints NFL rookie wide receiver, Jawan Johnson. Well, today, before we dive into really getting to know who you are, your career, I actually want to touch on Jawan's career highlights prior to entering the NFL. As a former Oregon Duck, Jawan had 30 receptions,

for 476 yards and four touchdowns, including his time at Penn State. Johnson finished his career with 111 receptions and 1,590 yards and six touchdowns. Johnson capped off his collegiate career with the Oregon Ducks securing the final first down needed for the Oregon Ducks to win the Rose Bowl in January 2019. The wideout led the Ducks in receiving for the Rose Bowl with five receptions, 66 yards, including the final 28-yard reception that allowed Oregon

to run out the clock with a 28-27 victory. From that point on, Juwan went on as an undrafted free agent who found his way on a contending team as a rookie with the New Orleans Saints. So without further ado, Juwan, welcome to the All In Podcast. Absolutely. Thank you for having me. I'm excited to be on here. Ready to chop it up with you. Absolutely.

Absolutely, man. Well, let's dive in. Before we get started, I like to ask my guests two questions that revolve around being all in or not. So these two questions, you're either going to say you're all in for it or you're not. So the first of the two is, were you in favor of the NFL basically limiting fans or banning fans from attending games this year?

All in. Okay. And the other one is, were you all in for the way the NFL handled the social injustice and just specifically how they responded to the players regarding the racial discriminatory issues and things that we're seeing in our social justice system today in America?

All in. Okay, great. Well, I was in favor, actually, of the way the NFL responded. I actually was in favor of the way the players handled the whole situation, just banning and coming together and really, you know, highlighting the specific things that, you know, obviously we're seeing with police brutality. Also, ownership and equity, things that, you know, for far too long that have...

obviously been obvious and just issues that players have kind of individually spoken out on but now we're seeing a unified front and I think it's great for business overall because then it helps the players to shed light on the issues that are internally that have been there for years and also what's going on socially outside I know there's always this talk is players that hey just play football focus on the sport but the things that happen in our society today here in America and in our

community, especially communities where there are large amounts of people of color that are facing racial injustice, police brutality, socioeconomic injustice. These things definitely need to be brought to the forefront. So I was definitely happy to see the way the players actually band together and actually had a plan of action on the things that they were set on asking for and holding the NFL accountable since the NFL is a majority minority league at this point prior to where

originally founded. So we like to basically, you know, touch on certain social topics, topics in sports that are currently going on and just to kind of get your pulse on, you know, what your feelings are. So thanks for being open to answer those questions. So as we dive in to getting to know who Juwan Johnson is, do you mind just, you know, letting us know, where did you grow up? You know, what was your life like growing up also as a kid?

Yeah, all those are great. I mean, I think I'd be growing up from a small town in Glassboro, New Jersey, small town about 20 minutes east of Philadelphia, about 45 minutes north of Atlantic City. Yes. Small school, graduated 155 people.

A couple guys, a couple Super Bowl winners who came out of that town. You have Corey Clement with the Philadelphia Eagles now. I was a Super Bowl with them a couple years ago. And Gary Brackett, who won many years ago with the Indianapolis Colts. So, yeah, title towns, what we call it. Small, obviously small town, but some names come out of there. Some names come out of there. And, you know, just me growing up, I had two older brothers who were 15 and nine years older than me, so...

A lot of distancing between us, which probably made me tougher than what I needed to be. Yeah, but also wiser than my years, as some would say.

but um just growing up two of my brothers both mom and dad stable home so I couldn't really complain about much of my life I mean it's not that I had much but I had enough in my family that I that they could provide for me and whatever I needed you know they had for me so just growing up I can't complain about anything had two brothers who were loving had a big family and

and they were always on me, always there to support. I mean just growing up, you know going to Penn State, going to Oregon, they were all for it. So growing up was amazing. Yeah Wes, that's interesting you shared you know how you have two brothers and that were older than you. I myself had two brothers. One of my brothers he

is about five years older than me and my other brother. We're actually born in the same month. I was on the 29th and he was on July the 6th. But, you know, when we were growing up, I was younger and of course they were older and bigger and, you know, they never would let me play sports with them, right? And I, at the time when I was young, I hated sports. They used to watch football games and they used to watch basketball. And the only thing I enjoyed watching them was wrestling, you know, back in the day when they had Jack the Yard Dog, Warrior, Hulk Hogan, all these legends now.

we would stay up on Saturdays and watch those games. And man, I remember that was something I looked forward to because, you know, I grew up in a, you know, my mom and dad were divorced early. So I split time, right. And growing up in fifth ward, you know, we, we were always outdoors. I'm like, you know, it didn't matter how hot it was, you know, we played sports and, you know, those guys used to, you know, they used to piss me off when I was younger, even though I wasn't crazy about sports, I wanted to get on the court or on the field and play when they're like, nah, you too little sit over there and watch and,

Right, right, right. And eventually, as I got older, that was when I, you know, began to pick up basketball and really start to, you know, adapt to the sports culture. Right. And there it took off. But I can definitely say I know that feeling of having older brothers that are older and bigger than you. And, you know, you're always fighting with them. You're fighting to try to get the first bowl of cereal in the morning before they eat all the food or, you know, get the front seat on the way to the store. All of those things are always in competition. Yeah.

I can definitely understand and see where you got your competitive spirit from. Absolutely. Well, tell me this, Juwan, like, you know, growing up, you

especially as young African-American men, you know, in our culture, if you didn't have your father around, you know, oftentimes it was the neighborhood dope dealer or the neighborhood hustler or the neighborhood ballers or just other young men around you that typically were either involved in sports or some form of entertainment or hip hop. For those like myself growing up in the 90s, I saw you were born in 96. I mean, that's the guy who graduated from high school.

It was like hot crazy. Yeah, yeah, yeah, right. But who were some of those players or who wasn't? If it wasn't a player, who was it specifically that influenced you to really get into sports and pick up the game of football? Honestly, it was really my brothers and my family. I mean, my dad, obviously, he was on the point where, I mean, he put me into sports, but it was up to me if I wanted to actually fall through it. But just having my brothers and just how competitive they were and what we did, like, it didn't matter what we were doing, like,

When you were in our family, you had to do something. It almost seemed like being with my two brothers. And so we had a basketball court outside. So it was inevitable that we had to do basketball. I mean, and then we had a little yard on the side of our apartment building. So we played football. So we did that. And then just track just came sort of easy to us. My father was an all-state track runner. So track was just –

his thing like, all right, you're going to do track. Football, basketball is cool, but you're going to run track. That's kind of just MO. Right, right. And so, yeah, I mean, it's definitely from our brothers. I mean, they played from as little as they can remember until as long as they could go. And so for me to just watch them and see how much they had and just the friends that they built,

They kind of wanted me to have the same experience in a sense. And so I just followed their footsteps and I played football as well, football, basketball, track, played some baseball. And we kind of did it all.

Well, that sounds familiar to my life growing up too as well. I was influenced by my brothers to play sports until I saw Michael Jordan for the first time, and that's where I really adapted to basketball. But definitely my brothers had a strong influence on me. Question I have for you is, are you the only athlete to play professional sports in the family? No. So my middle brother, his name is George. George Jr., he actually played in the NFL. He recently stopped.

Two years ago. Okay. And so he was in a, he was in a pros for, I want to say seven or eight years. Yeah. So he started out, he went undrafted. He went, he went to Rutgers. He went undrafted, played at Tampa, uh,

Went to the Lions, went to the Vikings, and even went to the Saints. His last year was with the Saints. Wow. So he's with the Saints. And so it's just crazy how life goes around because, right, because I now have a relationship with the players that he was first being with and those guys. So it's really fun to know that, you know, he was there and now I'm there.

That's awesome, man. Now, just think about the odds of that where you have a family of athletes and not only were you guys super talented and the influence that your brothers had on you, but two out of the three brothers had the opportunity to play at the highest level. Absolutely. And for the same team. For sure. That's like hitting the lotto several times. Right, right.

It's hard enough just to be a pro, let alone have two brothers playing. And you know what's interesting? We're seeing more of that now than ever before, where we're seeing multiple brothers playing sports at the same time or have both have played in the NBA or NFL. So I assume you really hold that to be a special experience, you know, to have and to, you know, forever remember as a young man.

Absolutely. And I think a great courage and like, I just think my parents, I mean, they just registered to be good people because, I mean, there's athletes all across the world, don't get me wrong, but it's definitely hard to find a good group of people and to stay on the same path throughout your whole duration of high school, college, and then soon getting to the NFL. It's hard. Yeah.

Well, you just came off a big week, man. Your team, New Orleans Saints, won their first game in week one. And that's for you as an NFL player, playing with greats like Drew Brees, who's going to be a Hall of Fame. And I'm sure Alvin Kamara is going to one day end up in the Hall of Fame with the way this guy. I love how he was all bleeped out yesterday. How surreal was that, knowing that your brother not only played for the team, but here it is,

Week one, you get your first win against a very competitive team. You're playing against the Gumbra for your first freaking game. Like, what was that experience like? Yeah, I mean, you just have, you know, those guys like, you know, Mike Thomas and Drew Brees and Alvin Kamara. And then you got on defense, you got Cam Drake, you got Malcolm Jenkins, you got Janoris Jenkins. I mean, you have guys like that, and you just sit back and watch them actually do their thing up close. And knowing that you are –

a part of this team, it's really surreal because this is actually your dream job. I mean, this is what you dreamt of your whole life. And knowing that you're on a team like this full of veterans, full of competitors, full of experience and wisdom, you just want to be around that all the time, you know? And so I just talk to those guys and after the game, it's just like,

You know, just saying, like, this is crazy that I'm with these guys. I mean, because they just have so much confidence going into games like this. Like, it doesn't bother them. Like, getting big games like this, it doesn't faze them. They don't waver. They're very in the middle. They're not too hot and not too low. And they just go ahead and handle their business. And it's crazy to see that.

Well, you're used to playing in big games, obviously coming from prestigious universities, winning programs like Oregon and Penn State. So I know you're not someone that's shy of the big spotlight and the big moments. So it would only be natural for you to wind up on a contending team, which rarely happens for most rookies coming into the league, to have the opportunity to play on a team full of talent. And obviously every NFL team has talent. Let's make no mistake about that. Every NFL team has talent. But to play on a talent where you have

multiple options from receiving to defense to running backs to obviously you have a Hall of Fame quarterback. I mean, that is an experience in itself. And so, you know, being in that spotlight, being in those big moments, it feels like to me, your career at Oregon, your career at Penn State has kind of prepared you for what you're experiencing right now. Am I right or wrong? Yeah, definitely. I mean, just definitely being at those two prestigious universities definitely builds your character in what

I'm just going to be honest, kind of what the NFL is every week. I mean, every week it's kind of,

You're playing against the best. It's not like you're playing against some scrubs or this week. Yeah, like we've won a couple, right? Yeah, it's not the same. Right. And so it may seem like that compared to the team in general, but, I mean, those teams are bringing in every game. Like, they're preparing to win games because they're a professional football team. And they're the best in the world. I mean, this is not the best in the United States. Like, they're getting everybody from the entire world to play on their football team, so.

it's very competitive and you kind of can't even be like, you know, I'm going to take this week off because, you know, they're preparing just as hard as you are because this is their job.

Well, you're a receiver. And obviously, like I said, you're used to, you know, playing your big game moments and performing. But now coming in, you know, you started out, you have to work your way into the league as an undrafted free agent. You did the necessary things to make the roster. And what is it now where you are as a rookie in the league? What are, you know, looking at guys like Alvin Kamara, looking at Smith, these guys that are part of a, you know,

you know, running back and great receiving court because Kamara catches a lot of passes in the, you know, in the backfield as well. Sorry, you know, outside of the backfield. You know, what are the things you're learning, you know, being around pros like these guys and seeing their preparation week in and week out? How has that impacted you and what are some of the takeaways you've experienced and learned thus far? Yeah, you definitely want to emulate what they got going on because that's what makes them who they are. You know, a guy that I...

mirror a lot is Mike Thomas. And just to see the way he is when he practices is just all that I need to know to prepare my game, prepare my life to what it needs to be. Because he works extremely hard for what he does. He works extremely hard. I remember seeing us and it was our walkthrough on Saturday night

And he had Jordans on. He had a zip-up and sweatpants. And, like, this is a walk-through. This isn't like a run walk-through. This is like an actual walk-through. And this man is, like, kind of running in the hotel. I'm like, yo, this man is crazy. It's just how he is. Like, it's just how he carries himself. And that's just how he prepares for a game. Like, he wants to make sure that –

this is what it needs to be and this is what it needs to look like. So, I mean, I'm just like, man, I could really take that into my game. And just the way how he plays tough, he plays –

hard it doesn't matter what you show him is is not going to face him and that's something that i want to implement to my game and even my practice like every day like my mentality needs to be like that and that's what's helped me through this whole experience even even before training game before we step on the field like i was around and just like this is what my mentality needs to be like absolutely well it's only fitting for the theme of this podcast a winning mindset and uh

When you look at guys like that and you see their preparation, one, you know that they're all in, just in their mental approach, right? And having that winning mindset to not just take things lightly. You know, like you said, it's like, hey, this is a walkthrough. Most guys are taking it easy, whereas –

he's kind of sprinting. He kind of gives that analogy, which was Shaq gave the analogy of Kobe. You know, Phil would be talking when he was a rookie, Kobe be over there in the back, jab, step in pump, fake. And like he was at a real game. It was like, yo, what's wrong with this dude? And then here we see it 20 years later, God bless his soul. But over 20 years later, you see just how intense and how all in Kobe was. And you really have to have that winning mindset. And speaking of winning mindset, you know, we go back to you being undrafted. What mindset and process did you have to prepare yourself and your body to

go through to make just to make the cut. Yeah. I mean, honestly, you just have to endure. I mean, and surrender. I think those are the big words for me. I mean, after not only being undrafted, but going into camp and then, you know, just being on the team, you know, a lot of people don't get that call to be like, you know, I want you on this team where the practice squad or the 53 man roster. I think we just have the mentality that, you know,

I'm going to surrender the outcome and just play what I need to play. Because if I have fun with it, no matter what it's going to be, this guy is going to take care of himself. Like, it doesn't matter what I do. There's nothing more I can do. So, say if something bad happens or something good happens, I have to erase what happened in the past and go forward with this. Because when I got undrafted, I mean –

I took it with a grain of salt. It wasn't like I was extremely mad or I was extremely, you know, depressed or angry or anything like that. I actually was just like, all right, well, this just adds more to my story. Absolutely. I think it was, like, the biggest thing. Like, all right, it's something that...

It's me working upwards and not downwards. I'd rather be undrafted and work up than be a first-rounder, and there's a lot of expectation for me to, you know, win a downfall or whatever. I like working up. I've always been an underdog, knowing me coming from a small school, so that's never fazed me. It's never been new to me.

So I always took it as a challenge. It's like, all right, well, here we go again. Like, I'm built for it. I've been through it all my life, and that was just another obstacle. So it's been fun. It's honestly been the best thing for me. You know, I've been inspiring other people to, even people who were drafted or who can't find the will to, you know, grind. It's just always good to inspire people to be like, you know, like, this is nothing. Like, there's people that's facing challenges.

way worse things than what you're facing right now like absolutely honestly it's just a mindset about about everything you're right I mean you just touched on it it's that winning mindset you know you could have had a negative attitude oftentimes I know I've had those experiences playing basketball and being with guys that got cut and didn't make the teams or didn't get drafted and just seeing how disappointed and low they were and I understand it rightfully so but

you chose the mindset of a winner and then just say, you know what, you know, there's still work to be done. And that doesn't mean that the opportunity is dead or it's over. It's, you know, how do I pivot and what are the steps I need to take to get myself to the finish line or accomplish that goal? And that, that does take a winning mindset, which I want to dig a little deeper on that. When you talk about pivotal moments, were there any pivotal moments during training camp where you were like, Oh shit, this could be it. Or, you know, Oh, I got, I got to make this play. So I know that I give myself an opportunity.

opportunity or any pivotal moments that stood out for you during that process? I think it was just, uh, one of the, one of the weeks, I think, um,

It was like one week. It was just me starting off real slow that week. And I was like, all right, well, I mean, I know I'm here for like her reason. Like there's no, there's no reason why I was put in this position to, you know, to feather or, you know, to drift off or be behind, you know, in the background. And so it was a slow week for me. Really just trying to adjust the first week, very slow, trying to adjust the coaching, just trying to adjust to everything. And the week after that,

again, like the word for me was surrender. Like, I think for me, I was just idolizing so much of success and just like the pressure, just like, and I just gotta make, I just gotta make it. And so I just think when I was just able to surrender and be like, you know, like you, like you are the best that you can be. And it just had a mindset that nobody can stop you. Yeah.

Yeah. And if they get paid too, so, I mean, if they happen to win the rep or whatever the case may be, then it happens, like. So, really just going out there, just playing the game that I love.

I just had so much fun. I started performing better than I thought I could, making catches. I was just like, man, I never did that day in my life. I had like a diving catch for one day and I was just like, I never did that day in my life. - One of those out of five experiences, huh? - Right, right. And that's just like me surrendering, having fun.

and not worrying about the outcome of anything. - I think that's interesting that you touched on that where you talked about, hey, I've made these plays and I've been there before. When you're playing in a situation and it's kind of hard to explain, especially when you're around a high level talent and you know the guys around you about their business and they're there to put in work and a lot of them are proven professionals.

oftentimes it, you can kind of get gunshot, right? Or you can kind of get a little like overanalyzing things. But what I did realize and identify what you're sharing is when you start to have those out-of-body experiences, it's because you're really just like, no matter what, I'm going to go all out. I'm not going to focus on the little thing. I'm going to focus on the details and make sure that, you know, I don't miss assignments, make sure I remember the plays and make sure I execute when I've given the opportunities. When you come at it from that mindset versus, oh, I didn't make that last play or I didn't make this last catch. Right.

then you're not focused on allowing yourself to have those types of out of body experiences because you're so engaged on what you didn't do, what you didn't do right or what you felt. You know, I'm happy you shared that because other young players that are going to come across this podcast and hearing exactly what you're saying, where you're surrendering, you're surrendering to the anxiety, you're surrendering to all these things that really aren't that important when you really break it down. And oftentimes we don't even have control over other than our actions and our mindset and our attitude. So I,

You know, what you just shared there is really, you know, it stands out. And I think that's what as players and even in life and in business, when you're trying to accomplish something, you're working towards being the best that you can possibly be. You really just have to surrender and say no matter what,

As long as I focus on giving it my best week in and week out, I'll live with the end results because I know I went in it and I didn't stay stuck on mistakes or what I didn't do. I just focused on being the best that I possibly could be in that moment, right then and there. Absolutely. As we progress, man, I also, you know, I noticed, you know, you recently launched, you know, a merch line. Mm-hmm.

Living in the age of social media, the ability for athletes to monetize their brand and their likeness, how important is it at this particular stage do you think for athletes really to be paying attention to these opportunities that are there to not just generate outside income, but to also begin to develop a brand that resonates with their fans and the communities that they serve? I think it's extremely important. I think ever since I was little,

you work on your brand. I think that was installed at a very young age, especially with my father. Just having a great personality, building relationships, building connections, you know, and ultimately you doing all that, that is your brand.

So even like as early as, you know, when I was on MySpace, I mean, I wasn't posting anything outlandish or anything crazy because I didn't want myself to seem like I'm like, you know, like, you know, weird or anything like crazy. Like, what's wrong with this kid? Like, why is he posting this? Why is he saying all this?

On Facebook, I wasn't saying anything crazy that where people questioned me and look back and be like, you know, you really said some crazy stuff. I always want to put myself in a position where

People are just like, you know, he's always been this kind of guy. Like, I know he's grown, but he's always been a guy that's respectable. He never put anything crazy, never exposed anybody or mean anybody on social media. That's kind of how I wanted my brand to be at a young age and even growing up now. And just, you know, putting that on a t-shirt,

And so, you know, kids from even as Glassboro, you know, wear my hoodies and be like, you know, like this is Juwan's hoodie. Like this is what I would want my clothing brand to be like when I'm older. Just really inspiring youth is really why I wanted to do this whole thing.

teaming up with fan arc doing the clothing launch is something i always wanted to do just for the young kids the youth it's not so much for the older people i mean they're gonna buy whatever they're gonna buy but i really wanted to do it for the youth getting those people even in glassburg just to wear them hoodies and be like man like i'm really inspired by what he has those kids in jerseys i'm really inspired by what he's doing and i want to do that when i get older but i want them to be better than me i don't want them to

be just as good as-- I'm looking to be better than me. So just wearing that and be like, no, I have this hoodie, but I'm going to be-- this hoodie is going to be better when I have it on mine, so I have my brand on there. So that's what I'm really trying to inspire these kids to do. Yeah. Well, I think that's amazing. And I'm happy you touched on, you know,

the conception of the whole idea and thought behind branding yourself started with your father, that relationship and him instilling that mindset and understanding, you know, what you put out and the things and the way you carry yourself. Perception is reality, right? Until people get to know you, the only way they can perceive you, especially in today's times with social media is the things that you post and what you say and your actions and how you carry yourself. And

And it's great to see that you had that example in your father. Because oftentimes, a lot of young African American men, I know that you know this, especially with a lot of players that you play with, they don't have fathers that not only have been in their lives, have never been around. Most of them don't even know who their fathers are. They lost their fathers to death or health issues or to prison. My dad was in prison at an early age. So

to have that available to you and stealing that early, I think is not only valuable, but now we're seeing that play out now that you are a pro. So it makes sense now where the merch line came from and how the whole idea started. That seed was, you know, implanted at a very, very early age. And I think that's awesome. So what's your goal with the merch line? What are you moving towards? What are you, and I know you're talking about, you know, you, the purpose is to engage with the younger generation, but overall, what is the end game with the merch line?

Yeah, just really just obviously inspiring, but I've always wanted to have a merch line and that's something that's big to me and having a logo and then having, you know, a cartoon play is sort of what my Instagram is about. Just being playful, just showing your art, showing your artistic side, just being yourself, I think.

a lot of people can be too cool and might be like no like I'm uh I want to have it like this I want to seem like I'm cool but I want people to say like I am 24 years old and I still love cartoons right I want people to know that um like it's okay you know just to have an artistic side and just um and just like you know loving loving what you love and so um

I want to go into more of, you know, just adding more cartoon stuff. I want people to be like, you know, this is really nice. Like, I like this. And just spraying a brand really that anyone can wear. I want to be like, this is just directed to this amount of people or this set of people, but anybody. I think you're right. I think when you talk about brand,

you know, you being authentic is where it starts. The authenticity, you are the brand at the end of the day and your message is, you know, what you want people to perceive and convey is what you're going to put out and that's what are you passionate about? What do you like? What are those things that really interest you? And it's funny you brought that up. I mean, I was a Thundercat and G.I. Joe fan growing

I remember being a kid having my, my transformer lunch pill. I used my mom's. I used to carry school and then your friends, they all had different ones. And it's like, that's how we connect. You know, we traded, you have no figures, ThunderCat figures. Like I'll let you have my line. Oh, you know, for your Panther. It was like, I remember. And believe it or not, that people's, that passion never goes away. It's just,

unfortunately as adults we're so self-conscious and we have to be adults we have to be professional and we don't want people to see that side of us or people wrong idea or think that oh you're still a kid you're playing with action figures like if that's what you're passionate about you're not bringing harm to anyone i think

it's great to be able to express that. And now having platforms like social medias, LinkedIn, which is where we connected and Instagram, Facebook, all these various platforms allow you to uniquely market yourself in a way that engages with that audience in a way they like to consume content. I think it's great now that you're sharing

the purpose and meaning behind it. Just the fact that you're sharing your passion in cartoon or action figure characters is huge because there's a huge demographic out there, whether they're your age or slightly younger, that are highly engaged with those various forms of action figures or cartoon characters. And that resonates with people. And that allows people to connect with you on a higher level and lets people also, I think, see you more than just being an athlete, which we hear that term

used so loosely now more than ever. I think it's still very important. And so kind of in conclusion, as we talk about, you know, athletes monetizing their likeness, like where are other, what are other ways that you see, or you're looking at being able to monetize your likeness as an athlete, just outside of the merch line as well, or the other things that you're working on it, that you're thinking about moving in that direction.

Aside from that, me and my wife are doing a lot of social media. We've been on TikTok. We've been accommodating a little bit of money from out there. We stopped YouTube for a little bit just because I can't

I think TikTok is a little more accessible very quick. Yeah. But, you know, we're on YouTube. And aside from that, it's really been nothing. But I really want to start getting into, you know, gaming. I'm a big gamer. So, I mean, I want people to know that, again, you're never too old to be gaming. Just really, you know, connecting with fans, being with fans, and knowing that I'm a personable person. I'm not too cool for anybody. Like, I'm not one of those guys who's just like,

you know, I'm not playing with you. Like, you're a fan. Like, I'm not like that. I'm really, I'm a personable guy. I'm on TikTok. Like, if someone comments on, you know, our post, I'm commenting two seconds later because, like, I just want to be a personable guy. Like, I'm a regular guy just like anybody else. I can attest to that. My first, obviously, interaction with you wasn't you being known as an athlete.

It was actually, we'll get into this here in a little bit, a real estate wholesaler. We're gonna talk about that coming up. But I can attest to say Juwan is accurate and honest in what he's sharing. He is a down to earth person. And I think there's value in that, especially in times like right now. So it's awesome to hear you share that. And as we progress and move forward, you talk about your wife. I'm someone that's been married 18 years and I think you're newly married

Can you talk about the dynamic that, you know, you have with your wife as a pro player and how you find that balance as a player to make that time for the family and for her and your relationship and how she's involved in the overall process from the merch line to the things that you're sharing, the social media, like, you know, how are you finding that time? And what does that mean to you? I guess more. Yeah. I feel like I'm doing a pretty good job prioritizing because I think for me,

I wanted to put aside football for football. And when I'm home, like that's her time. You know, I really don't want to be the guy who's, you know, say if there's a bad practice, I don't want to bring that negativity back home to my wife. That's something that I promised her I wouldn't do because that's not fair to her. I feel like it's, it's doing a disservice to her because, you know, she's,

home you know working from home and then like she's you know she's ready to talk to me she's excited and then I come home with like that sort of attitude it's like uh how you doing I feel like that's really um bad for our relationship I feel like I'm I'm a really positive person so it doesn't happen too often or where I'm coming home and it's like that but in terms of business

You know, we have a lot of layers to it. So sometimes we even get into bickermas about, you know, I think this works better, you know, it's just like, it makes our relationship so much more fun knowing that this is my business partner. This is my wife. She's my supporter and she, we have so many layers and she has so many layers. All credit to her because, you know, it's, it's a lot for her to sacrifice.

for a professional athlete and to be married to one. So, you know, definitely just, you know, giving credit to her whenever it's possible. I'm going to do it and I

I know it's not always easy for me to be working from 8 all the way to 5. She's home, but it's been great pulling back layers from her and experiencing every day, learning something new about her. The business side has been great. The relationship has been awesome. Obviously, we're doing the TikTok and all that, so it's been really good. I think that's awesome to hear because

Oftentimes, that's not the case that you often hear in relationships when it comes to professional athletes, where oftentimes women can feel alienated and really not to be allowed into their husbands' careers or whatnot. They get a lot of the negativity, like you shared there. Football is a very high-impact sport. Oftentimes, you're in pain a lot after games and

you're not in a good mood or you're, you know, it's highly competitive. So you're under a lot of stress and to hear you sharing how you're able to, you know, kind of set that tone and turn and, you know, hit that switch where it's like, when I'm home, I'm giving my best effort to be present and to be here with her, you know, and to enjoy these experiences of our relationship and also involving her in your business and, and, you know, what you're doing on social media, what you're doing off the field, that's important. And that's how couples grow at the end of the

day and that's that's awesome to hear especially that you're that you're taking this level that you're taking it that serious early on in your marriage because oftentimes it's it's an issue it becomes an issue later on in marriage where the women feel neglected because so much time is devoted to being a pro athlete i don't think a lot of people understand it like in order to make these teams and not just make them but stick and then perform at a high level you are constantly under stress

all the time, even post-season because, you know, you're trying to maintain and get a contract. Absolutely. It's great to hear your perspective on it and attitude. Like, I really believe that is a winner's mindset because it's one thing. I remember this growing up. I was in the, you know, coming as a professional. I think my wife, she met me after playing and coaching in college and then getting into sales and thinking like, it's,

You know, that mindset is it's I want to be just as good at being the best husband and her friend as I can, just as much as I can, being the best athlete and the best salesman at my job. And it's awesome to hear that you take that type of approach. And it's definitely something to be celebrated because I mean, I take marriage seriously. It's an opportunity that you're sharing your life experience with your partner.

And not that it's always going to be perfect because you have those ups and downs, but to hear you're making a concentrated effort at, you know, developing a relationship with your wife is really, really important. And I think obviously from your relationship with your parents, you've had the blueprint set before you. For sure.

As we transition and move towards closing, and it's been a great conversation. I'm enjoying it. I don't even want to get off this. But we had an opportunity to connect on LinkedIn, and I've been using that as a platform to connect with other professionals in the sports and entertainment space, and it's worked really well for me. But one of the things I noticed when I looked at your profile is that you were, one, you immediately, it says clear as day, real estate investor, wholesaler.

Let's talk about real estate and why you have chosen this path. Because one would say, man, you're rich playing football. Why the hell are you thinking about wholesaling or investing in real estate? Can you talk about what sparked that interest and what your plan is and what you're working towards as far as being an investor?

Yeah, absolutely. Well, me getting into wholesaling and real estate investing really started with quarantine. Me being in quarantine, I was just like, man, I want to do something that's other than football, just having one income and just being like, man, I would love to find something.

something else that I could really, you know, find passion in. So I was just, you know, looking and thinking like, and don't get me wrong, like months are going by. I'm just like, man, I still haven't found out what I want to do. I stumbled across wholesaling. It's his first thing. Like it's not real estate. I'm just like, first thing that I stumbled across is wholesaling. I'm just like, I don't know what this is. So, you know, I'm listening to, you know, YouTube, you know, go to YouTube university. You know how that goes. Go to YouTube and

And then I'm listening to podcasts. I'm listening to the bigger pockets podcast. I'm listening to max Maxwell. I'm listening to, um, wholesaling Inc. I'm just like, yo, like this is like the real deal. Like wholesale is kind of real deal. Yeah. So, um,

What I do is that I'm just like, you know, if I really want to get into this, I want to start building connections right now. And so what I did was that I say, you know, I want to get back on LinkedIn. I've been on LinkedIn in probably a year. So I reactivate my LinkedIn account. I put, like you said, clear as day that I am a wholesale real estate investor first because I want to build connections knowing that I'm a wholesale real estate. I want people to know too much that I'm an investor.

NFL player, but I am. So I had that in there as well. But I want people to know that I am serious about, you know, building connections, knowing what's going on. So I'm in a whole bunch of groups. I mean, I try to join as many groups as I can. Being there, just learn as much as I can. So whenever, you know, people in Louisiana, New Jersey, California,

All those places that they post something, I'm looking at it, glancing at it, see what's going on. And I'm building as much knowledge as I can, man. I mean, this is something that I have been passionate about for a couple months now, you know, coming out of quarantine. I'm just like, yeah, this is something that I really want to do. This is really intriguing. And then even my cousin got on it. My cousin, we talk about it.

almost every week. We just talk about it, bouncing off ideas, seeing what we can do in New Jersey, see how we can do that. And I'm giving him insight on how I was planning on doing things in New Orleans, knowing that it's a repairing city and how it can be so much better than what it is. And that's really been motivating me. Yeah. It's awesome that you shared this because we've had a little brief talk about the whole wholesaling and real estate and briefly on our first phone call. But

you know, to hear how you're actually putting the time in, just like, you know, when you start out being an athlete, you got to put that time in to get your body the type of shape it needs to be to perform at the high level. But in real estate, you know, you have to put the time in learning the business, learning the trade. Whereas with wholesaling, you know,

you mentioned something like relationships. And I think that players, especially like no other today where they're earning like any other time, I should say previously in the past when, you know, especially specifically NFL contracts weren't as large as they are today, meaning players are making more money guaranteed money now.

And, you know, rather than just placing yourself in that box and relying upon that salary based upon your labor and your hard work, it's why not also develop another professional skill set that during the off season or even during season, you know, I could be developing relationships in the realm of real estate investing or whatever that form of investing that you choose to get into. But leveraging platforms like LinkedIn, where you've got millions of professionals on these platforms.

This isn't like Instagram with people that are cute and post photos on Facebook, you know, where you're catching up with high school and family friends. This is where business professionals are looking to do, and they're looking to do business and make connections with other professionals. That this platform for athletes, I think is huge. And I don't think a lot of athletes are really taking advantage. I know more are starting to, but when you talk about making those meaningful connections, I mean, one, as an athlete, you're,

You're, you're probably at your highest earning potential that you're going to make while you're young. Right. And to now be able to leverage that. And we talk about this in real estate at Keller Williams leverage. We talk about leads listings leverage. Well, leverage is huge. Being able to leverage your likeness, not just to say, I'm in an NFL. You kind of hit that a little bit, but said, Hey, I want to build relationships and learn in this space and make connections because you

then you can leverage the money that you're making as a player through the information and knowledge that you're learning. And other players, I think, as hearing stories like yours and seeing other people have success, whether it be wholesaling or just traditional real estate investing,

A lot of connection can be made on platforms like LinkedIn that those relationships are what's key because what I've learned in my career is that a lot of things happen through relationships, period. It's no longer just who you know, it's who knows you and it's what you know, right? And I think it's awesome to hear that you are taking those steps and you're breaking it down step by step, making the connections, getting in groups,

learning the information and then figuring out how to leverage it at some particular point, which leads me to my next question. Where do you see yourself going from being a wholesaler to maybe being an investor? Like, where do you see taking this now that you're starting to learn information and gain insight on what really real estate wholesaling is all about?

I see wholesaling and real estate investing coming hand in hand for me in the next couple of years. I feel like with wholesaling, it's very quick, but in a process of where you need to be very engaging and it needs to be quick and you need to be trustworthy. I think that's the biggest thing. I think for me, it's not so much about the money. I think it's more so about trust.

me helping people get out of the pickle that they're in. And I think that's just me learning from, you know, podcasts and just me, just me personally. I'm just like, I'm not here. I'm not here to scam you. If I were to be honest, I'd be like, well, I'm satisfied with what I have, but I'm here to help. And I'm really saying investing. Like I, like I was talking with my cousin. I just think where new ones is that right now, I feel like it'd be a lot better. He should come along better. New Jersey. I feel like there's places where I'm at, where,

I see places all the time. I'm just like, man, that could be a really nice place if it was fixed up. For me, I think it's more so, yeah, let's help this place get back to where it could be and more. Because New Orleans is a place, a key zone, where a lot of fun happens and many people love to be. It's definitely a destination city.

Just being here, I'm just like, man, like some of these places right here can be so much better than what it has. Absolutely. Let's build some relationships, get some people involved so we can make it happen. Absolutely. It's interesting you share this because I have these conversations with athletes and my other friends that I grew up with in communities like Fifth Ward when you talk about being able to help people and go back into these neighborhoods. Well, athletes have a huge amount of leverage and power. One, because...

Majority of these guys that you play with on field grew up in urban or inner city communities, right? And they come from these neighborhoods that are disparate or neighborhoods that have basically been decimated from the crack era to over-policing, et cetera. But there's vast opportunities within these communities where guys like yourself that are young, gaining the knowledge and information, can even pool their money together and leverage their status as players to get access to information, meaning finding out what deals or opportunities are. The general public or people in those communities

may not even know about or even are aware that they exist. And even if they did, they aren't in a position to execute on them because they don't have the capital. So one of the things I always talk with the players about is like, look, there is an immense amount of opportunity right in the neighborhoods where you grew up to be able to do wholesale deals, to invest, fix and flip, develop, you know, take an old rundown, you know, whether it be

building, liquor store, warehouse, whatever it is, and convert that. And obviously, you have to do your research and understand where to buy and how to buy and how to position yourself. But again, it goes back to the opportunities. There are an abundance of them there. And I believe that now is a great time for athletes to step into those communities where they grew up and really leverage buying real estate while it's cheap, right? And taking advantage of Opportunity Zones, tax benefits of those properties fall into Opportunity Zones.

Take an opportunity, not just wholesaling and selling the deal off to someone else, but actually holding the deal, pulling your money together with other players and developing the community, developing, you know, whether it be apartment buildings, multi-family units or developing residential properties or,

building communities within neighborhoods that were once everyone moved away from and now they can't begin to start to move back. I don't know if you see it from that perspective, but that's what I've seen since I've been in the business 14 years and now have friends that are going back in these communities and they're investing and they're buying real estate

at unbelievable cheap prices, right? And bringing back and revitalizing these communities that were once alive and well that, you know, obviously over the years have been impacted, you know, based upon the things I just shared, like over policing, drugs and crime. Now we're seeing more African Americans that are in communities like Fifth Ward or New Orleans, particularly I have one friend, he went down in the Ninth Ward and he bought up bundles of

you know, old vacant boarded up houses and turned them into Airbnb. So there is so much opportunity for us as young black men and women to reinvest in our communities. Do you feel the same way? Absolutely. Yeah. I I've been, I've been, yeah, just trying to hit on that, but yeah, I think that's, I think that's the biggest part. And just like how you said, there's a lot of guys on my team and even the guys where I grew up with who didn't come from the best areas, but I think them having a vision that I would like to have or,

You know, I vision myself to be is that I want to rebuild a lot of these communities and be and have it to be where we envisioned it, that it could be. You know, New Orleans was a hot spot back.

Way back when. Way back when. It was nice. And, you know, even when you walk downtown and Burbage Street, you're just like, man, like, this was actually the spot back then. Like, you know, this was the spot back then. Right. And just saying, man, this was the spot back then. Yeah. And just seeing it now and, like, you know, there are some areas that are pretty bad. I'm just like, run down, you know, you have border windows up and you have, you know, run down places. You have graffiti all over the house. And it's just like, man, like, this could really be something if, you know, someone cared about it or even someone –

who cared about the grass. 'Cause when you see high grass, that's a sign. - Absolutely. - Well, someone isn't there. And so I'm just seeing these places just like, man, this could be something. And you really wanna prepare a lot of these places to what it could be. - Absolutely. Well, as we begin to close,

What advice do you have to younger players like yourself and guys that are going to be coming into the league from, you know, investing standpoint? What advice would you give them as they, you know, as you would say they should be thinking about post-career? What advice would you have from an investment standpoint? Right. I definitely would tell them that just to have a right mindset. And if you don't, get around people who do.

I think that's the biggest part in my transition that I could pivot on is just having people that I could rely on. Having people who know more than I do or in areas that I don't know who I could ask questions and build on that. I think the people that you hang around, they know the same amount of knowledge as you, puts you in a detriment in your life and puts you at a detriment that

You don't know what to expect when things, when different things come into your life. You don't know what to do, how to act. And it's terrible. And I think that's what happens to a lot of,

you know, people who don't make it in the league or who just don't make it in life is that they don't have people who can help them or who can, you know, propel them into the person that they could be just because of the people that they hang around. So I think just getting around the right people, have that mindset that you just want to do better for yourself. I don't see you just doing better. Yeah, that's great advice.

I also, you know, I noticed, man, that you end up signing with VaynerSports Marketing Agency. And, you know, Gary Vee launched this about two years ago. You know, what led you to sign in with VaynerSports and what value did they offer as opposed to other agencies that really captured your attention?

Yeah, well, it was two things. And the one thing was that when I signed with A.J. Vaynerchuk, he was more so on the edge that he was going to be my agent after football. And that was a big green flag for me. Like, if it was up to me, there's a lot of agents who are done with you after, you know, your football career is done. It's just like, man, I have to hit you up.

and forever and they're just like no I have other agents I mean I have other clients too I know I tend to so I can't talk to you yeah but for AJ it was more so you know I'm talking to you like we're in this together

we in this until you know whenever you want to say I don't need you anymore but yeah um that's what that's what caught my attention that's what drew my attention from the very start great dude very personable guy and you know we talk every week it's kind of like he's a he's a good friend of mine and it's more than just a business with being him it's a relationship and secondly um

They were more than just football. I mean, football wasn't a thing, like I just said before. Football wasn't the only thing that they were, you know, talking about. They were talking about, you know, advertising, what we can do, you know, aside from football. Just our first conversation wasn't even about football at all. It was about other things and just knowing us on a personal level. And that's something that attracted me from the very start. I'm just like, he cares about football.

me and not my ice is on the field because that's something that I can handle myself. So it was great knowing those guys kind of really woke me up and I was like, I need these guys on my team. Yeah.

Well, it sounds like he was more interested in developing a relationship with you. And as he stated, you know, being your agent beyond your career, which as you share, you don't hear that very often at all, even today in this present times. A lot of agents miss that because it's just about getting guys under contract and getting those, you know, getting that money coming in at the end of the day.

and for him to share that he had interest in getting to know you as a person because who you are, your talent is your talent. He can't change that. Like he can't make you or help you get better on the field. There are other people that can help you do that. And of course you have to put in the work, but it's about what can he do for you to help you grow your career over time and then beyond your career. Right. And that's, that's high value. And I think that when you, when you really get down to it and it's the focus of,

"Hey, you know, I'm gonna develop a relationship with you. I wanna provide value to you that helps you build a legacy as opposed to, I just wanna help you, you know, get your max deal and then, you know, if you don't work out, I'm on to the next." - Right, right. And that was the biggest thing for them is that none of that matters. You are more than what you are between the lines. Like we care about you and your career. - And you said there was two things. What was the second?

Yeah, that was the second thing. Just saying that they weren't really concerned about what my play was on the field because that's something that I can handle. It was more of them, you know, being there for me for advertising reasons, trying to get revenue a different way other than football. That was more of their focus. Yeah. Have you had an opportunity to connect with Gary at all?

Yeah, I talk to Gary like every week as well. So Gary, sometimes, you know, Gary's running. He's always doing something. I mean, that guy, he's always doing something. Oh, yeah. Gary will always send like a quick message saying, love you, man. All love. Yeah. Praying for you. Like things like that. Just a quick little something, even though that it may not be a long extended conversation. I mean, he's always reaching out.

reaching out to him, just saying something quick because we know we're always moving around. Yeah, everything's in motion. Right. Very personable guy. Really good guy. I mean, I know what you see him on there and there. I mean, he's, you know, he's like cursing people out, you know, being all, you know, all that kind of stuff. But that's just the type of guy he is. But he's also a down-to-earth guy that he could, you know, he's texting people and checking on them to make sure that everything's all right.

Awesome. Well, you know, I've watched Gary's content since 2012, and I believe he's a truly genuine guy. And I think what him and his brothers developing over at VaynerSports is very unique. And they've probably been one of the fastest growing sports agencies I've seen in modern day sports in a very short period of time. Like the last 36 months, I know they probably got over 50, 40 guys on their roster, mostly NFL guys. I think I've seen them sign a couple of NBA guys and MLB, but

It's awesome. And I think that, you know, Gary's approach and his brother's approach to really helping their clients build brands as opposed to just being a one ticket item and get your contract. And if you don't work out there burning through players on to the next is what's going to help them compete and be around for the long term. And, you know, that's that's that's exciting to see. Well, in closing, man, final question. What advice do you have for future rookies coming into the NFL?

Yeah, yeah, that's a good one. I think it's more just to be a sponge. There's a lot, especially in my situation, they are – we're probably the oldest team in the NFL. I'm just going to put it out there. We're probably the oldest team in the NFL. We're still kicking ass though. Yeah, yeah, I know. Just walking through the locker room and hearing these guys talk about their kids, it's insane. But I think just being a sponge around every one of those guys, learning –

I mean, from football to life to being a father, to being a husband. I mean, just being around those guys, you can hear and learn so much. I think just coming into a locker room, being a sponge, being selfless. I mean, don't put yourself in a lot. Obviously show who you are as a person, but don't put the spotlight on you, man. I mean, I think that's the biggest thing.

coming in as some rookies would be there, they're trying to, you know, put their foot in the door and try to make sure they're seen. Just make sure that you're being a sponge around these guys. Learn as much as you can because they won't only teach about football, they teach about life.

Awesome. Those are all facts. And I really appreciate you coming on to this podcast and sharing your insight, your experiences, who you are as a person, and just your overall journey, man. It's definitely inspiring. And to be able to do what you love and make money is really icing on the cake. Just to do what you love and to enjoy it, I can see it from all sides.

person who's been in real estate 14 years. There's really nothing like it. And, you know, and also to share with the people that you love and you care about is extra special. So, you know, I want to continue to wish you much success on your journey, Juwan. And in closing, I would like to ask, how can our listeners that come across this podcast, how can they connect with you? What platforms can they reach out to you on or follow you?

Yeah, absolutely. So I am on Instagram. My Instagram is it's Juwan. So I T S Juwan, J U W A M. I am on Twitter. Juwan, please. Juwan, J U W A M. Please. P L E A S E. I'm on Tik TOK. Ju and Shan.

and I'm on YouTube, Hanging with the Johnsons. So you guys can follow that and check us out. I like that, Hanging with the Johnsons. I'm going to have to check that out. Well, hey, guys, it's been an honor to have Juwan on today's podcast of the All In Podcast with, you know, Disgusting.

a winning mindset. Juwan has shared his winning mindset on how he's been able to overcome obstacles, his journey, and what it's led him to being a professional athlete in the NFL with the New Orleans Saints as a rookie wide receiver. So feel free to contact him, reach out to him on those platforms. Be sure to follow him and make sure you engage with him. And I also copped some of his merch. I've checked it out. It looks really dope.

And we'll be following you as you continue your journey, Juwan. And hopefully maybe we, I know you've been talking to one of my agents, Armand. Maybe we might be able to get up, you know, in Vegas if that's an opportunity. But I know we'll connect at some point in the near future, man. And I'm really looking forward to meeting you in person. So without further ado, thank you again for coming on. This concludes our All In podcast and this episode seven, Winning Mindset. Until next time, you guys keep hustling and keep winning out there.

For more information on the All In podcast, visit LAVIPagent.com and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube at RodWatson23. No matter where you are in the world, you can connect with us for motivational and inspirational content. Subscribe to this podcast series wherever you get your podcasts. Till the next episode of All In, keep believing, keep hustling, and keep putting in the work.