Donte Jackson Explains Why He Gave the Panthers His 'Undivided Attention' in Free Agency
Loy·al (adjective) - giving or showing firm and constant support or allegiance to a person or institution.
When you look around the professional sports world nowadays, loyalty is becoming harder and harder to find. Athletes either chase the bag or chase the ring. Rarely do you see them remain with the organization that drafted them and stick with that franchise through the good and the bad.
That's what Carolina Panthers cornerback Donte Jackson did earlier this offseason by committing to the organization to a three-year, $35 million deal. After posting the best season of his four-year career, Jackson could have went anywhere. Super Bowl and playoff contending teams would have loved to land his services, but he never entertained the thought of playing anywhere other than Charlotte.
Last week, I was able to jump on the phone with the Panthers No. 1 corner to discuss everything that transpired over the past twelve months.
"Oh yeah, 100%," Jackson said when asked if other teams pursued him in free agency. "I definitely got a lot of action from around the league but like I said, my main focus was Carolina. I know I had a great relationship with Scott and Dan [Morgan] and those guys, so I just wanted to make sure that if I were to test the market it was completely a done deal that I wasn't coming back to Carolina and that was never the case. It was always that we were going to get something done. Obviously, I had a lot of suitors elsewhere being a four-year starter and what not. You're going to have guys come calling but my main focus was just make sure that I gave Carolina my undivided attention."
Continuing the marriage with the Panthers is something he and the front office both wanted but there were some obstacles that they had to overcome. GM Scott Fitterer also wanted to retain fellow cornerback Stephon Gilmore, but knew that it would be tough to sign both he and Jackson back to multi-year deals given the cap situation.
"We both wanted to stay together," Jackson said. "I wanted to learn as much as I could from a player like Stephon and I'm sure Jaycee [Horn], Keith [Taylor], Stan [Thomas-Oliver] and all of those guys felt the same way. We never really got into any deep talks like it was me or him or anything like that narrative that was floating around. I know the narrative was trying to make it like it was pitting us against each other but it was never like that within the organization. Scott [Fitterer] and those guys never gave us any idea that it was going to be like that. We were just going with the flow, worrying about football and we all knew the business side would be taken care of at some point.
"Being that it was during the season, the only thing that was on my mind was football. I wasn't so much thinking about the offseason and contracts and free agency. I was just thinking of it as us seeing who we could bring in to help us win games and compete this season. Whether it was a corner or just anybody, I was on board with whatever we could do to get better with the guys we already had."
Sure, looking back on it, making the trade for Gilmore didn't really matter since the team bottomed out after getting out to a hot start, but his presence had an incredible impact behind the scenes. He helped all of the young corners, including Jackson and it's something that will forever change the way he sees the game.
"The big thing he taught me is to just become more of a student of the game. I watched a lot of film, so I have a great understanding of what I needed to do but Steph just took it to another level. The biggest thing with him was just his mental; how he watched film, how organized he was with his notes, and most importantly, the way he practices. He practiced from a mental state. Everybody just likes to get out there and run around and Steph was one of the most athletic guys I've been around, but you rarely ever see him turn that side off. It's always a mental thing and playing a game within the game. That's the biggest thing that I learned from Steph and that'll be with me for the rest of my career."
With Gilmore now in Indianapolis, Jackson returns to being the elder statesman of the cornerback room. He briefly mentioned how excited he was about being the leader of that group, but more importantly, that he gets to be a part of the group of guys who turn this franchise around. After three consecutive five-win seasons, it can be easy to lose hope, belief, and trust in the organization that you're playing for. Jackson has never once questioned the vision for this team and the direction in which it's headed. As a matter of fact, he feels they are close to not only getting over the hump, but busting down the door and returning to a top team in the NFC. Being a part of that is something he didn't want to miss out on because he grew too impatient.
"I just want to be a part of the team that changes the narrative. I don't want to be one of those star players that when something doesn't go right, they leave. We had this talk that we wanted to be that turn like how Luke [Kuechly] and those guys had to be at one point. These are the guys that are going to come back and start that core of guys like Shaq Thompson is and what Thomas Davis was and what Luke was and what Cam [Newton] was. Those type of guys, the guys that were drafted here to be the change and ultimately became the change. We know we can win here and we know we have the talent to win here. We have an outstanding coaching staff. Now, we just have to get everything turned around. If you look at all the games we lost, it was no blowouts. It was always right there, so we know where we're at. So, why try to go and start somewhere else when we're on the cusp of becoming an elite team? That's bigger than anything that I can go be a part of. I can just do that here and be part of those guys who were remembered as being that change."
During our call. Donte talked a lot about how much the city of Charlotte meant to him. This has become his adoptive home and it's now to the point where he spends very little time in his actual hometown of New Orleans and maybe some of that stems from his newfound hatred for the division rival Saints.
"I 100% see myself wearing these colors for my whole career. I feel like it just became home for me. The brand of football I play is the Carolina brand of football. Like I always like to say, when you're looking at the franchise legends like Luke and TD [Thomas Davis], and Cam [Newton] and talking about the grit and the style that those guys played with, I feel like I fit that mold. I want to be a franchise great. I want to be a guy that when it's all said and done here people remember me as being an exceptional player and a guy who was actually out there in the community doing stuff. I see myself being here for my whole career."
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