“I wanted to see if I could get out of my contract, try to wing it in the NFL, or just stop playing football”, recalled Sam Eguavoen, the Jets’ LB. Starting his football journey in the Canadian Football League, the Texas-born player had plenty of doubts about figuring out his football career. Eguavoen started playing football in high school. Born and raised in Texas, he earned several honors during his school and college career. You could say he was born to be a player.

In 2017, when he was unsure about resuming his NFL career so, he turned to his parents for advice.

Who are Sam Eguavoen’s parents?

Born to Esosa and Patience Eguavoen, Sam Eguavoen reached out to his parents when he didn’t feel like returning to Canada. And like every parent, they helped him regain his focus on the future. His father, Esosa, comes from a tech background. He works as an IT Support at Frontier Communications at Texas A&M University. Not much is known about the Jets’ LB’s parents besides that, especially his mother. But they surely helped him a great deal!

After not being drafted in the 2015 NFL Draft, Sam went on to play in the CFL. He was picked up by the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2016. But, sadly, after six games, his debut season with the Roughriders came to a halt when he suffered an injury. While in Canada, he felt pretty cut off from his family and life back in the U.S. “I barely knew what was going on in my household because I was so locked in on CFL football, so locked in on the Saskatchewan Roughriders”, he shared.

And then, after that off-season, doubts started seeping in about his return to Canada. Eguavoen’s parents eventually stepped in to advice him. His parents advised him to complete his year with the CFL team and take things as they go once the year was done with. After three years, the Roughriders bid adieu to the player and Eguavoen got ready to make his way to the NFL. Fortunately, he was picked up by the Miami Dolphins and Eguavoen went on to play four seasons with the team before moving on to Gang Green.

Where is the Jets’ LB from?

Born in Garland, Texas, Sam Eguavoen comes from Nigerian descent. An alum of Lakeview Centennial High School, Eguavoen stacked some good numbers in his senior year, with 118 tackles, four sacks, and one interception. The former CFL athlete then went on to attend Texas Tech University, where he played for the Red Raiders. He’s been dreaming of playing in the NFL since his college years. But things didn’t fall into place for him right away.

The 31-year-old could not hold back his emotions when he played his first NFL game. Eguavoen recalls the moment as the most special of his life. In 2023, Eguavoen signed a deal with the New York Jets after splitting off with the Phins. The Jets re-signed him, earlier this year, to their practice squad before moving him up to the active roster this September.

The LB has played in seven games out of eleven so far this season. Although the Jets have had a terrible trajectory this season, with only 3 wins to their name, Eguavoen’s journey itself is an inspirational one. Hopefully, Eguavoen and the Jets will write a different story next season.