The only thing I have to do, in all honesty, I cannot get into bed without taking a shower and brushing my teeth. Especially the night before a game, I will never go to bed without doing those two things. That’s it. Lay down, feel fresh in the bed, wake up fresh.
Do you unpack? Are you using the dresser or the closet at all?
No chance. I might put some of the clothes on the table, but I’m not going to unpack just to pack it back up.
What’s the worst hotel room you’ve ever stayed in?
I couldn’t even tell you, bro. [thinks] There hasn’t been a time where I was like, “I gotta get out of here!” I’m pretty grateful to even be able to travel. I know what you’re saying, but I don’t think of any place as a bad place to be.
Have you played any games overseas?
I did when I was on the Giants in 2016. That was in London. I actually stayed in London [once] for two or three months with Von Miller. This was back when Drake was on tour, so our home base was London for a little bit of time. It was our offseason, so we went to Norway, Stockholm, Amsterdam, but London was the home base. That was my favorite hotel, actually. The Rosewood, they always take care of me. It’s in a beautiful little area. It’s cool to experience something different outside the States. We have a lot of love for London.
You also lived at Drake’s house in LA for a bit. What was he like as a roommate?
Well, I think people have a misunderstanding of that. He was actually on tour and I was living there. Everyone was like, “Oh, they’re roommates!” That wasn’t really it.
Have you ever thought about places you’d like the NFL to expand to?
London is an easy one. It would really work. Other places I’ve been where they have a little football? Paris, Germany, and I think another one that would be tough—you’d have to create a league over there—would be Dubai or Abu Dhabi. I’ve stayed over there for a little bit of time. They obviously have the funds to get it done.
Where’s your favorite place you’ve ever traveled?
That’s a tough question. Italy was nice. Any island, even as simple as the Bahamas. I love the clear water. Maldives! That was very nice. I went there in 2019, I think.
Yeah, I’ve for sure done that. I’ve had people come up to me with my full face tatted on their leg! It was from the ESPN cover shoot. It’s all love, but it’s definitely crazy.
Do you have a most memorable dinner from your career?
I was able to eat in the Eiffel Tower restaurant. When we were on tour we did a lot of eating out. That was the main thing we did. Room service gets old pretty quick.
What’s your favorite cuisine?
I really like Italian food, or any kind of Jamaican/Caribbean cuisine. I love, love, love that.
Do you have any chain restaurants that you’ll go to when you need something familiar?
Not necessarily. Usually if we’re going to play some place, we have people on the team that are from there or have played there, you know what I mean? We’re usually thinking about that the week of instead of winging it when we get there. We’re going to LA? Okay, where do you y’all want to eat? But there’s certain spots. You go to LA and it’s, “Oh, I really want Roscoe’s Chicken & Waffles.” For the most part, we know where we’re going or want to go. I like to try things.
What advice would you give a rookie who’s about to start making NFL money and traveling for the first time?
When I used to get asked that question, I thought I had the answer. When you’re 25 thinking about what you would tell your 21-year-old self, you don’t even know half the shit that you’re about to go through. Now, my advice would be that you’re going to mess up, and each person’s mess-ups are different. Everyone has to go through their own life experiences to become the man or woman they want to be. They have to make their own mistakes. You can learn from someone else’s mistakes, but each individual’s life is individual, you know what I’m saying?
