Shaquill Griffin On Leadership, Old Teammates and Changing the Jacksonville Jaguars

Shaquill Griffin smiled over his laugh, trying to remain professional as members of the Jacksonville Jaguars communication team attempted to reconnect his audio.

Such is the case in a global pandemic when everything from meetings to introductory press conferences for free agents are done virtually.

Once it became clear the problem wouldn’t be immediately remedied, Griffin gave up on pretenses. With a rapt audience and time to kill, he let loose a smile and began dancing.

It was a moment of levity but also a snapshot of the package Shaquill Griffin is bringing to the Jacksonville Jaguars. The former Seattle Seahawks corner, signed this week in free agency, is entering his fifth year in the league. He’s the old head now, the experienced veteran on the league’s youngest team. But he’s also the kid from Florida, come home to play ball and see if he can be one of the pieces to help turn around a 1-15 franchise.

When Griffin first arrived in Seattle—a third round pick out of UCF—he was low man on the totem pole in one of the greatest defenses the game had or has ever seen. The Legion of Boom was still prowling the West Coast, built top to bottom with a secondary full of Pro-Bowler’s.

“When I first met them, it was nerve-racking,” admits Griffin.

“I didn’t know what to expect going to a group that has so much established already and then they gave a chance to a young guy like me. So, yeah, I was just trying to do everything right. At that point, I was just trying to do everything right, whatever they told me to do, I was trying to get it done.”

From a third-round pick, to earning Pro Bowl honors, and everything in between.

Thank you, @ShaquillG. We wish you all the best. 💙 pic.twitter.com/vLdeO8VqDW
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) March 17, 2021

Following their leadership—and exit—Griffin became a starter, one of the biggest names in free agent this offseason thanks to 249 tackles, one sack, 48 pass deflections and six interceptions over the past four years. The production led to a three-year deal with the Jaguars, worth $44.5 million.

With it comes expectations and responsibility.

“I learned so much from Seattle, I know what it takes to be a leader, I know how to talk to certain players, coach them up to their own personal way. So, I’ve learned that, so I’m just going to take whatever I’ve learned. I’m just going to preach it, I’m going to continue to inspire and continue to show everybody how it’s done. But I have no problem taking that pressure upon myself to be that guy that everybody looks up to.”

The current corner back room (those that appeared in games in 2020 for the Jaguars) include four players coming off their rookie season, one coming off his second season and two coming out of year three. So Griffin is the old head. But his approach is to be a sponge.

“CJ [Henderson] being a young guy, [that] doesn’t mean I can’t learn from him. And the same way, if I’m talking for myself and I’m talking to CJ, he can’t be the guy who feels like, ‘Okay I already know it all,’ because there’s so much more to learn. It doesn’t matter if you’re year one, year two or year twelve. There’s so much more in this game that you can learn, and this game continues to evolve.

“The main thing is that everybody’s got to believe in something. So, my main thing is I’m going to take this leadership and whatever I do know already from my experience, I’m going to give it to somebody who may need it. It doesn’t matter who it is, as long as the guy is going to learn, I’m going to continue to teach.

“But I’m the same way, I don’t think I know it all, so if it’s a young guy or an older guy, I want to take whatever I need that’s going to help us win games. I’m going to be coachable. But like I said before, we’re only as strong as our weakest link and we don’t need [any] weak links on this team, so we’ve got to be able to hold each other accountable and we’ve all got to be coachable and teachable.”

Teammates, friends, colleagues, they don’t care what you know until they know you care. That means even if Griffin and his new unit understand they should learn from each other, some level accountability and trust still must be present. Luckily for Griffin, there is a level of familiarity already established.

Griffin played little league football with new safety teammate Rayshawn Jenkins (signed in free agency) and he’s friends with corner Sidney Jones IV. After his signing became official, Griffin was thrown right into the brotherhood. It happened so quickly, he didn't even realize to whom he was talking.

“They put me in a group chat. At first when I saw the group chat, I thought it was someone in Seattle, I was like, ‘Okay, maybe they’re saying congratulations.’ And then I saw all of these new names and stuff, that really got me excited—to know that everybody is already buying in before I even get here. So, at this point, I think I’m just ready to see everybody. If I could, I would find a way to take everybody to dinner just to sit down and talk to them. That’s how excited I am.”

Shaquill Griffin’s excitement, his production, his work ethic, his charisma, his dance moves—it’s all part and parcel to the newest player in the Jacksonville Jaguars locker room. He doesn’t plan on changing anything about what he brings…and as such, he thinks that could help change the Jacksonville Jaguars.

“I’m just going to give them everything that I have to give as a player and as a man, on and off the field. And I’m hoping [that] me doing that and being the leader that I am, it trickles down. It becomes so contagious that everybody is doing it. And that’s how you turn your program around, when everybody is buying in and believing the same thing.”