One of the most remarkable stories on the New York Jets involves wide receiver, Braxton Berrios.
A man who originally entered the NFL through humble beginnings as the No. 210 overall pick in the sixth round by the New England Patriots is now a rich man in 2022.
Although his path from day three draft pick to fan-favorite wasn’t rainbows and buttercups as he described in a recent interview.
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The Origin Story We Have Been Waiting For
The 26 year old wideout spent a season and the following summer with the Patriots from 2018 through the day he was cut on August 30, 2019.
During that time Berrios won a Super Bowl championship, albeit it as a backup player who missed the majority of the year on injured reserve.
The former Miami product recently joined the Adam Schefter podcast to give some juicy details on his tenure in New England:
“I’m utmost grateful to [the Patriots], coach Bill Belichick, and that organization for giving me that chance. I will always say I learned more in the year there then really anywhere in my career about football. I got to sit in those meeting rooms with Tom Brady and Josh McDaniels who is in Las Vegas now. I feel like I got a PHD in football over there. You know it didn’t work out for whatever reasons and obviously looking back [getting cut] was the best thing that ever happened because it felt like the back was against the wall there.”
#Jets WR Braxton Berrios (@HNYNUT_BERRIOS) said getting cut by the #Patriots was the ‘best thing that ever happened’ & said it felt like ‘the back was against the wall there’: 🎙 @AdamSchefter Pod #TakeFlight #ForeverNE
There clearly came a point where Berrios wasn’t viewed in a light that he could step on the field consistently for the Patriots offense and was let go.
The rest as Jets fans know is history.
Over the following three seasons Berrios would slowly and methodically work his way up the depth chart until he finally got his moment in the sun in 2021.
The talented playmaker was forced to step up and delivered an All-Pro campaign as a return specialist and was a pretty darn good receiver at that:
- 46 receptions
- 431 receiving yards
- Five total touchdowns
He was able to parlay that into a nice two-year contract extension this offseason for $12 million. A significant pay raise for the former Patriots draft pick who was handed his walking papers in 2019.
A Budding Bromance
Berrios admitted on the Adam Schefter Podcast that he hates “hype” and doesn’t want to make unrealistic expectations, but feels confident that his quarterback Zach Wilson is set to make a leap in 2022.
Berrios explained that Wilson’s rookie offseason was marred by COVID affecting the team coming together, going through normal struggles, and figuring out the playbook.
Now heading into his second season, Berrios senses something coming:
“Fast forward to now and it’s a different world. He knows the offense, knows his reads, and is very confident when he says something in the huddle because he knows it is right. Instead of saying, uh I think right? So the confidence is there and obviously we see the arm is there, the athletic ability, I mean everything is there from a physical standpoint and now his mental has aged so much since just a year ago. I can’t wait, again I hate talking about it because I hate hype I just can’t stand it, but I can’t wait to see him Week 1.”
#Jets WR Braxton Berrios (@HNYNUT_BERRIOS) says QB Zach Wilson (@ZachWilson) is in a ‘different world’ than he was a year ago ‘he knows the offense, his reads, & is very confident when he says something in the huddle because he knows it is right’: 🎙 @AdamSchefter Pod #TakeFlight
Berrios also made a compelling case that this upcoming season doesn’t solely ride on the shoulders of Wilson.
The one example he pointed to was Mike White’s Hall of Fame game versus the Cincinnati Bengals last year.
He set multiple records for a player making his first start and yet they barely squeaked the game out versus the Bengals.
In other words it takes a whole team firing on all cylinders to truly reach the next level. It was a way for Berrios to spread the pressure of the upcoming season on the team instead of a singular player.
As admirable and nearly convincing as that argument was, the NFL is a quarterback driven league. Whether fairly or unfairly, the upcoming 2022 Jets campaign is going to be evaluated by how well Wilson plays.
If he balls out the Jets should have a very decent record with the talent that is around him on offense and the upgrades to the defensive side of the ball. If he fails or gets injured, the green and white will suffer from it.
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Jets’ Braxton Berrios Sounds off on Patriots: ‘Back Was Against the Wall’