When compliments are given in the zero-sum realm of the NFL, they can often be interpreted as lobbing a put-down at someone else — even when a name isn’t directly said.
So, when Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton said Monday that his team was “better overall” at safety than it was a year ago, it was impossible to miss the implication.
Payton wanted to pay a compliment to not only starters P.J. Locke and Brandon Jones, but also to assistant coaches Vance Joseph and Jim Leonhard, both of whom he mentioned in his answer. But it’s the implication that led one of last year’s starters, Kareem Jackson, to respond on social media.
Jackson started five seasons for the Broncos before being released late last season after multiple suspensions, and of course, his fellow safety last year, Justin Simmons, was released in March. In their place sits Locke and Jones, whose combined average-annual-contract values are less than that of Simmons alone on his previous deal, but whose effectiveness has made the pair an excellent salary-cap value.
But Jackson is still a part of the room — especially for Locke, who texts frequently with him.
“Every day,” Locke said.
And that line of communication included Jackson reaching out to Locke about what he said on social media.
“He texted me before it happened,” Locke said.
“… And my thing with it is, I never discredit Kareem. I never discredit Justin. Those dudes are the reason why I’m standing here right now. There’s no doubt about it. I owe them a piece of my contract. I’m not doing that, but I owe them a piece of my contract.
“But, oh, man, those are my brothers. And the fact that he texts me and, let me know, man, he felt indifferent about it, but it was cool, man.”
To be certain, Locke appreciates the sentiment from Payton.
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“Those comments from Sean, I mean, I love ’em, man, because that just shows how much he believe in me and B. Jones,” Locke said. “And when I have trust in the coach and when we have trust in the coach, man, we just — we just go that much harder for him.
“So, I didn’t take anything out of the ordinary from it, but he feels how he feels.”
And while Jackson’s play didn’t earn him another season with Payton, his impact on the culture of the Broncos — specifically their defensive backs — lingers.
“The culture we have right now is all Kareem. You know, the DB dinners, the DB trips, the hanging out. It’s all Kareem,” Locke said. ” “Then just kind of bringing the young guys up. He had a way, obviously, when he was here, he was a lot older than everybody, so he had a way of bridging the gap between the young and old. And he could talk to anybody.
“… But all that stuff comes from Kareem. So, like I said, I would never discredit those dudes. Those are my brothers. And … we’re brothers for life.”
And that sort of relationship means doing exactly what Jackson did: reaching out to Locke before firing a social-media missive about the coach.
