Looking back on his past few years, newly signed Saints WR Jontre Kirklin called it a "rocky rollercoaster," and that's an apt description.
Kirklin was a member of the unbeaten national champion LSU Tigers, then he experienced a pair of frustrating seasons that culminated in a bowl game against Kansas State where he played quarterback. The Tigers were undermanned and ultimately dominated, but the final play of the game was an 80-yard touchdown pass from Kirklin's arm.
He was a member of the Arizona Cardinals in the 2022 preseason and had just been signed to the practice squad, but a DUI incident got him cut.
"That kind of showed me that I need to lock in," he said. "I had got to the point where they had just signed me to the practice squad. I was getting loose, and now I’m more focused."
Kirklin latched on with the XFL's Houston Roughnecks and looked dominant through four games, then he tore his pec, an injury that ended his season.
As he worked to recover then work out for NFL teams, including the Falcons and Giants, tragedy struck. His father was killed in his hometown of Lutcher.
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To say that signing his deal with the Saints this week was an emotional moment would be as big an understatement as you could manage. He said he spent much of Saturday in tears as he acclimated to his new surroundings, going back and forth to the bathroom because he kept thinking about wanting to celebrate the moment with his father.
“He’s probably dancing in heaven right now, I’m not gonna lie,” Kirklin said.
But to make his stay in New Orleans more than just a happy footnote, he's going to do whatever it takes. Kirklin's versatility is his strongest asset, he said. Case in point, this wasn't even his first workout with the team. He was brought in last year to try out as a defensive back, but left without a deal.
This time around he's sticking at WR, but is hoping to contribute in all four phases of special teams to show his worth.
“I’m gonna try to learn the whole playbook," he said. "Whatever they want me to play I’m just going to be ready for that opportunity.”
One advantage Kirklin will have is a lot of what he's learning is somewhat familiar, having worked with Joe Brady at LSU, a former Saints assistant who brought Saints tenets along with him as he helped build the dynamo 2019 offense.
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The LSU connections don't end there, with Tyrann Mathieu and Foster Moreau also in town, though Kirklin said he's trying not to "fanboy" too much, considering everyone is trying to be locked in. The lone exception was for Jimmy Graham.
"I was just like, I used to play with you on Madden, boy, dang, now I’ve being able to play with you," Kirklin said. "And he was just like, we’re trying to get us a Super Bowl, and I’m down for that.”
Where things go from here, that'll be up to the work. One thing he can say for sure: Sunday will be his first time being at a Saints game in person, having never gone to see them play despite growing up in Louisiana. It'll be emotional, no doubt, as he takes the field against the Chiefs in the preseason opener. He's fully aware that he might end up crying again. Then it's all business.
“I’m home. I’m comfortable," he said. "Moms lives right up the street. I’m going to be able to comfort them throughout these hard times, and shoot, I’m here to play ball, man.”
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