'It made me grounded': Jarvis Landry talks year away during Jacksonville Jaguars minicamp
Veteran wide receiver Jarvis Landry is using his rookie minicamp tryout with the Jacksonville Jaguars to determine if he wants to still be in the league—and if he still can be in the league.
After one day of camp, the jury is still out on both of those question, but he said he’s feeling good being back in football.
“It's good to be back out here and be around this structure and football and such a beautiful organization,” Landry told reporters on Friday.
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He didn’t play for any teams during the 2023 season, last playing for the New Orleans Saints in 2022, and has a tryout spot with the Jaguars to attempt to break back into the league.
Landry was a second-round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft out of LSU. He’s recorded 713 receptions, 7,870 yards for 38 touchdowns in his 9-year career but found himself on the outside looking in last season.
“It was stressful. I learned a lot about the man and getting healthy and things like that,” he said of his experience last year. “Spending more time with family, kept me grounded. Had a good support system, but it's always good to be back out here.”
Jaguars tryout about convenience, potential fit for team
Landry said he’s a 40-minute flight from Jacksonville, so he felt it was a good opportunity with the Jaguars.
But that was only part of his reasoning. He said he recognized the potential of the team as they’re “on the cusp of doing some really great things inside the division and the league.”
He said he had a few other interested teams, but Jacksonville was the team on his radar. It makes sense as Landry excelled as a slot receiver, and he could find himself as a depth player behind Christian Kirk for that position.
“I got some cleanup things to do obviously, but for the most part I felt pretty good,” he said. “Caught the ball well, so I feel good.”
‘Pushing myself to those limits’: Landry testing himself through this process
A big part of Landry’s camp tryout is to see whether he can still play, and if he still wants to play. He didn’t find those answers on Friday, but he’s still grateful for the chance.
“Just if I could really do it, if I still really want to do it and pushing myself to those limits,” Landry said. “Being out of football last year was very tough. And like I said, it made me grounded, but it also made me humble and grateful to have opportunities.”
Landry and the rest of the rookie minicamp participants will be back on Saturday for the second day of practice.
“I just want to be as clean as possible,” he said “Be the best teammate I could possibly be and that's really, let everything else play out how it does.”
Juston Lewis is a Jacksonville Jaguars beat reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on the website formerly known as Twitter at @JustonLewis_.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jarvis Landry on Jaguars minicamp tryout: 'Good to be back out here'
