Not every NFL player is cut out for the grind in Foxborough.
Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots run a tight ship, and it can oftentimes be intimidating for players coming in — especially younger ones. Braxton Berrios was overwhelmed with the organization after being drafted in 2018 in the sixth round.
Berrios saw preseason action, but he was put on the injured reserve list in September and was cut by the end of the year. The New York Jets picked him up for the 2019 season and he’s been a productive member as both a receiver and returner. Berrios earned First-Team All-Pro honors last year as a kick returner.
The 26-year-old just signed a two-year contract worth $12 million and he’s beginning to make a name for himself in the league. He joined the “Adam Schefter Podcast” and discussed the impact New England made on him — while admitting he was glad he got cut.
“Really, I feel like I got a PhD in football (in New England),” Berrios said, transcribed by WEEI. “It didn’t work out for whatever reasons, and looking back it’s the best thing that ever happened to me. It felt like the back was against the wall there.
“I kept going, obviously, and found ways to be productive, and obviously in the return game was the first way. And then I really, really wanted to make sure I was seen as a receiver as well, and really over the last two years I’ve gotten a lot more of those opportunities. Then you marry those opportunities with now being named the first-team All-Pro last year as a kick returner, it’s finally full circle, it’s maybe starting to work out a little bit.”
Berrios is another former Patriot who found his way in the NFL after learning the structure and guidance from Belichick.
