The Jets claimed tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins off of waivers from the Buccaneers this week, offering him a chance to continue his career after the 2014 second-round pick’s run in Tampa came to an end after a DUI last Friday.
Seferian-Jenkins isn’t the first player to see his career get sidetracked by off-field decisions. His new teammate Brandon Marshall had an DUI arrest while he was with the Broncos in 2007 and had other off-field issues earlier in his career. Those experiences led him to reach out to Seferian-Jenkins, who also had a DUI in college, even before the tight end joined the Jets.
“I’ve been talking to Austin for a week now, even before this even happened,” Marshall said, via Newsday. “When I saw what he was going through I reached out to him. We’ve been talking for a while. He is a great talent. When I heard yesterday we claimed him I was like ‘This is God sent. If he needs me, I am there. I’ve already connected him with the right people in the city if he needs them. Guys need second chances. When you make a mistake, it doesn’t mean you are a bad person. You need people to believe in you, and sometimes a fresh start is a good start.”
Marshall has had several fresh starts in the NFL, largely because he has produced everywhere he’s played while eventually turning his off-field time toward mental health causes. Seferian-Jenkins hasn’t been on the field enough to produce in his first two seasons and that will need to change as well if he’s going to remain in the league long enough to be a turnaround story.