From DoorDash to Door Open for ‘Thump’ Gaines

Defensive back Innis Gaines has taken advantage of his return to the Green Bay Packers.

Author:
Bill Huber
Publish date:
Dec 12, 2022 9:55 PM EST

In this story:

GREEN BAY, Wis. – When the Green Bay Packers promoted Innis Gaines to the 53-man roster, coach Matt LaFleur was asked about the potential of the young safety.

LaFleur looked at the reporter as if he had three eyes.

“Nobody calls me Innis,” Gaines said with a smile.

Everybody calls him “Thump,” a name that describes his physical style.

“It originated my junior year of high school,” the native of Beaumont, Texas, said. “My mentor/coach, Patrick Fischer, he gave me that name. He said, ‘You need something that’s going to catch on with the media, catch on to people, because it’s time to get [scholarship] offers.’ It originated with ‘Thump-Thump’ but it shaved down to ‘Thump’ as guys started saying it more and more.”

Gaines started as a junior and senior at TCU but both of those seasons ended with torn ACLs. Because of the last of those injuries, Gaines not only went undrafted in 2020 but unsigned. Not willing to let his dream die without a fight, Gaines rehabbed the injury and got ready for an NFL opportunity with no promise of coming. To pay the bills, he got a job delivering burgers and the like for DoorDash.

His only taste of the NFL came during a late-season workout with the Packers. That led to him signing a futures contract after the season.

“Man, it’s crazy,” Gaines said. “I tell the story to people and they don’t believe it. It’s hard for me to believe sometimes, knowing the ACL tears back-to-back in college, had to sit out a year, didn’t get a workout until almost the end of the year with the Packers. That turned out to be the best workout of my life. Saved my career. It’s been a hard journey. I had to keep persevering through the lows and highs to prove that I really belonged here.”

Gaines spent all last season on the practice squad, recording one tackle when elevated for the game against Cleveland on Christmas. Getting an opportunity in the slot along with his usual work at safety this summer, Gaines might have made the 53 if not for a hamstring injury. The Packers released him with an injury settlement in late August.

There would be no wild stories about working odd jobs to pay the bills this time. Gaines never left Green Bay. The Packers set him up with the doctors at Bellin to rehab the injury.

“They said they’d take me back if I was still available and they kept their word,” he said.

The team brought him back to the practice squad in October and promoted him to the 53 on Nov. 29. The first person he told was his girlfriend.

“It was a long time coming,” he said. ‘I saw the Lambeau number calling me and I was like, ‘Yep, it feels like it’s about that time.’ I felt like I had a good game [a couple days earlier at the Eagles], felt like I’ve been doing hard work on the practice team, giving my best effort. Had two good training camps – had unfortunate injuries at the end of them. So, I felt like it was about time.”

In three games, including two practice-squad elevations, Gaines has played 42 snaps on special teams. LaFleur, though, sees some potential on defense.

“He’s got really great speed and physicality, and we’re excited about him in terms of what he can bring, especially to (special) teams,” LaFleur said. “He possesses the athleticism you look for and he definitely has that contact urge and he’s not afraid to throw his face in the fire, so to speak. He’s got a great energy about him and, the more he gets in there playing, the more comfortable he’ll get and the better he’ll be.”

That’s music to Gaines’ ears.

“I’m glad he said that about me,” he said. “I worked my ass off to prove that I can play defense, too. It’s hard being an undrafted guy. You’ve got to earn the trust of everybody. I proved to myself over the past year-and-a-half that I can play slot, I can play safety. I have a high football IQ. I can see the whole field. That helps to show the coaches that I can do everything. So, that makes me feel wonderful.”

It has been quite a journey for Gaines, who’s gone from delivering dinner to delivering hits, and working for tips to potentially tipping passes as a valuable member of Green Bay’s secondary.

Gaines is a regular DoorDash customer. Having driven away too many times without being tipped, he makes sure to take care of the people who take care of him.

“Whatever they tell you to do, I raise it a couple more bucks because I know how hard they work,” Gaines said. “Whatever it says, I do a little more. I don’t do $20 every time; I’m not rich yet.”