 Welcome everybody to season one episode one the premiere of a brand-new Atlanta falcon storyteller podcast And when you start a podcast, who do you go get like a face of the frickin franchise, right? I feel like that's essential. So we brought Grady Jared in here Grady. Thank you so much for joining us man. Thank you Have me. I know at the first guess man. I mean it was the top of the list and we're definitely thrilled to have you And it's crazy you go down the the bio and you're like eighth year Yeah, that's you've been in this business for a long time a good bit Considering you know my goals I could like to consider myself still young and still learning and hungry and ready to you know Just keep stacking up the years, but There's a very small percentage of people in your line of work. They get to that third contract Yep, and you've gotten there. Yes, sir. So what's the secret sauce? You know what I mean? I could say it's hard work I could say is it's just a combination of a lot of things man hard work dedication sacrifice and belief You know, that's the top one, you know, and just never really getting Comfortable and always striving to get better, you know Reinvent yourself to whatever you got to do to be able to play at a high level, you know and being self-critical You know I'm saying and seeing what you can do to be better and just always learning being coachable Being you know being somebody enjoy that people enjoy being around, you know Nobody want to work with you know a hole, you know, nobody That's but it's true man. No matter how much talent, you know, you got to be a good person, too You know as hard as you work, you know, just cuz you're a good person They don't give you none, but if you if you're a good player, but you a detriment to the team They're not gonna keep you around as well, you know So I think me just being the best me, you know and trying to help others around me has has helped me Get to the point where I am now and is gonna continue to help me elevate and be a better player I want to go back. You said the word Reinvent yourself and that's something that I think is an overlooked part of the journey of being in this league for you Is there something that you would any advice or anything you would tell yourself when you are? 2021-22 coming into the league. What is what is something you'd say to your younger younger self now knowing what you know now? You know what me talking to myself. I would just tell myself to continue to trust the process, you know I was a lot of things as a young player, you know You question and you wonder if you're doing things right and and But but for me the biggest thing it was for me to trust my process, you know All advice for me wasn't good advice and just knowing that the things I was doing was right You know and at the end of the day if I had to give advice to somebody else It would be just be be your best self and let the rest take care of itself because Everybody formula gonna be different and you got to be confident in that, you know It's when you're not confident in yourself and knowing that you know that you can get the job done with the things You know God has blessed you with and whatever got you to the point to be in in the building in the first place You're gonna be searching looking for answers of what is I want to be like this I want to be like that at the end of the day God may want you, you know And you got to be the best version of that, you know I'm saying and you can't be afraid to change and the most important thing As a professional athlete and as a as a person in general you got to be willing to look in a mirror and grow You know nothing nothing stays the same anything that's trying to get you to stay the same You you you gonna you gonna die out, you know, I'm saying, you know, it's like that's like life You know, it's like evolution like evolve or die like it's like legit the world changing every day, you know I'm saying whether it's between Technology us that you know athletes get better year in a year out there's somebody getting drafted You know I'm saying there's a bigger dude running faster But so what's gonna be different and I can't be the same me You know I'm saying so it's like being willing to put in that extra work I'm asked the questions of where and be real with yourself and see where the things you have to get better at and So that's been the thing that's been kind of helpful to me It's been good for me and keeping me like always fresh like I told you earlier in the podcast Like just feeling like young and always willing to learn and I'm just I just have fun and join Join what I do and I just know it's always room to improve and change and be better There's there's there are a lot of guys in this Falcons locker room who look up to you When you were younger who was that guy for you and what did you take from that person? And why did you gravitate towards that big a big person for me as a young guy to watch was Jonathan Babbino? I play with Babs when he was in his 12th year I think and the thing the biggest thing that took us stuck out to me was Babs used to come in every day and he had a routine down pack and I thought to myself You know if he can do this at 12 years, you know, whether it's taking notes every day First in line going to practice going hard every day, you know what I'm saying? I just and I think it was the Things that made him a great pro for this organization and just the things that kept him around I thought I saw as a young dude and really just watching from the shadows, you know because he didn't he wasn't a big vocal guy, but you know he didn't have to be because everybody respected him so much and Even when you know rose started to change it whether it was you know, I got to play a little more and he just He was just a guy that just always was pouring pouring to me But at the same time he was pouring into me not knowing just being himself, you know and and then just having his support You know through my career now or just you know, just it's like a you know Big brother type just just you know watching for watching from the shadow You know I'm saying like just making sure I'm doing stuff, right? Just you know, he would reach out and just tap tap in time to time But he found somebody for me as a young dude coming in and knowing who knowing who he was You know was was good was good for me and I think I took a lot from him just watching him as a young player Someone else who's watching you now as your son and what a transition So that was one of my favorite part of training camp, you know because the last couple years we haven't seen families out here What was it like having him just running around? Watching you do yeah, man is it was surreal, you know, I think just you know as a as a young player over time, you know, you see people out there were kids and You know myself for years, you know, I'm gonna my eighth year now And I've been in my relationship now for two two years. I'm going three years now You know, it's been it's been good. Not my son is going on one years old this Saturday You know Sam this Saturday before the first game And and me just being that that guy just freelancing guy You know, I was you know single dude and just you know, I see people they felt that was cool But me, you know stepping into that next, you know, the phase of my life has been just so cool and Seeing him run around is just and you know him running around and you know, I got a brag on my boy A little bit. He was an early Walker, you know, so he was walking about Seven eight months. So but so but time it was training camp time. He was out here running Yeah, do the full length football field not one years old yet, you know, I'm saying so him he I'll call him I'll be like him talking to me like a big boy And I'm just I'm just I'm just dad man and just seeing where where it's his mom does a great job of making them little clothes and stuff like that and Also, you know with my mom too, you know, when she come around it's so hard to get him from her So, you know, I get my time in where I can with him between my mom and my girlfriend Just just you know, just just hanging out but but being a dad man It's been the it's been the best thing that to happen to me and I've really really enjoyed watching him Just be a part of his journey and excited to extend it so he can have something, you know Some memorable some memorable moments that he can, you know Recollect, you know as he as he continued to get older, so I mean, but we're gonna take a year by year enjoy the process So I mean, it's been amazing. Yeah, it's and for those who haven't seen Grady's son yet He's barely one. He looks two and a half. Yeah You know I'm saying we I'll be messing with him. I'll be because he run around the house with us He run around his house in a little diaper man. We got them big quads Now he learning no, no, so he points you wag that thing like no, no, no Then he noted, you know, no, no, you know, you he love to clap his hands so do clap the hand song roll them up like roll them up put them in a pan He love that and so he's starting to get find his little voice right now and And just it's just it's just amazing watching watching them watching the girl Oh, I love that. What are y'all doing for his birthday man? So he's a big big incanto fan. Oh I like him even more. Yeah, watch it ten times a day That's the way he watches in his car rides and so we gonna set it up at the house have a real nice Lot his family is coming in to see him. I don't get to see him often family from, you know, Atlanta, Alabama Savannah Pittsburgh I mean, he got so much support from both sides of his family that they just want to be around them Because they don't get to see that much of them, you know, but between me know me being as busy as I am and And him just you know, just being in that in that, you know life with me, you know, we so we always locked in So so everybody ready to celebrate them and just just do his thing. So I mean, I'm happy to be Set getting ready to celebrate a one-year-old birthday at this point where they're being in the hospital For the first game last year when he was when he was coming coming right before the Eagles game Couldn't get close so so yeah, so I'm in a I'm in a I was always in a good mental space But it's a little more chill now that you know, you know, you're not getting close to game day wondering if you got to leave a half-time Catch a baby But it's been cool as long as you know to never talk about Bruno, then that's important. Yeah We don't talk about we don't talk about that I'm gonna get a little deep here. Yeah, cuz I talked to you last November and you talked a lot about Building and leaving your legacy. Yeah, right and I was thinking about that and that could mean a bunch of stuff You know in your hometown named after you have a son You have a franchise that you've been with for as long as you have in your hometown. Yeah That like that's a Legacy that's a big word for some that's a huge word for you Yeah, for sure for sure and it means a lot and that's something that I definitely embrace and I feel like as I grow And mature more it's something that's just becoming more more important to me You know, I don't got time for the BS. You know, I don't got time for if we're not moving forward We're not moving in the right direction negativity anything in between from anybody. I don't have time for it. You know me being Father, you know, I'm I take pride, you know in being you know a great son a brother and Whatever it may be and Just being somebody that the kids can look up to from the community from nationwide whatever it may be you know, I take my influence very seriously and And the more I take it seriously the more God continued to bless me to spread to spread my reach You know and and that's something that I you know Some things that I shot away from as a younger player and just a younger So I'm just body just trying to just focus keep his head down and do what I got to do on the football field You know learning that the impact that I have on people is it's been it's been very very important and you know just getting the feedback from somebody just you know Being able to spend some time with me or or and something some things that you know, I just thought you know I'm just kicking it. You know I'm hanging out You know that I'm having interactions with people and they just make it just they come to me two three years later or hit me up on Socials and just be like oh that just meant so much to me and maybe I didn't think about it as being you know that deep But then I started realized like you know the things I say you don't know they matter people always watching You know what I'm doing. So certain things that I Could do as a as a you know younger less notable player You know from going to their grocery store and telling you know and somebody recognizing me and Stopping the talking in a verse to be like now I feel like talking right now Just that can make or break somebody day, you know, I'm saying if I got a time I'm gonna give it, you know I'm saying and people have always been like real respectable by the same time I'm not somebody who just like shit away in the house and stay away because I mean I go I still go to go store, you know They're trying to get me to stop going some you know, but just But I mean just a small stuff like that and I always try to be really approachable and stuff like that But but just learning my influence and taking it seriously has has really really helped me and the people around me and You know people watching and really so so we we went deep now. We're gonna come all the way back up We're gonna do something new here. It's kind of like a rapid fire So it's yes, it's a rapid fire. We have five questions. Are you ready? All right, I know We're gonna start off first Favorite play as a falcon in your career. Hmm favorite play as a falcon I think There's so many I think that first sack I got in a superbowl my second year was just so surreal And it happened like so fast, you know, I just kind of it's kind of just like an effort play and we to be honest I don't know but most people run notice We ran we caught a different play up front like a doing like some games and Brooks Rita did something he did this like a spin to something I kind of went around him and they just kept going and got the sack and then it's just like I did I'm like That's definitely like a something memorable Memorable for me and so that's probably one of my most memorable play Okay, what is the last movie that you saw but it can't be in Kanto. That's out Last movie that I've seen the TV shows count maybe a good TV show man I'm on the I'm on the I'm on the game of thrones wave now But it was a house of dragons house of dragons man. It's intense man. That's that's that's that's that's what we do I'm looking forward to the Sunday nights now Gonna play that game, you know, I finished with them saints, you know, I'm going house of dragons Want to watch no film right now No, but yes, I've been on the game of thrones the past I got on really late But I caught all the way up and now that's that's my go to love it I know game of thorns was a lot of pandemic Yeah, for you know, you're a foodie. What's your favorite Atlanta restaurant favorite Atlanta restaurant? It's a lot of good places in Atlanta man, you know, I like I love sushi. So I love going to Umi. Oh, yeah, they always do such a great great job and always treat us very well Keema is one of the another place that I love How steakhouse is always a go-to. I like to tell people whenever they come from out of town Just a great all around me. You there's so many good places in Atlanta, though, man I'm a big oyster oyster oyster goer now so I like the optimist is another good one I love another steakhouse Marcel like it's been it's been Atlanta got some good spots You know, I got some good spots and I'm still learning a lot of versions that I haven't been but those off the top of my head or some Some of my girls. I hope somebody's writing all that stuff down. I know take notes Who's the Falcon that you spend the most time with? Oh, yeah, the Falcon I spend the most time on the team right now Yeah, um probably this offseason me and take one Graham. We spend some good good amount of time He's been a good good dude. Just uh, um, you know, just a good friend You know to add to my life and just been a guy that I'm not I'm not even in a mentor way just somebody just just you know, two common dudes just hanging out You know and we got to spend a lot of good time together this offseason and Just chop it up talk miss and just hang out and just us being able to play a lot together now with him coming To a second year coming into his own. It's been it's been good. So I mean, that's probably somebody I spent I spent a lot of time with Me and Dion has played together for you know Years at this point. So we our family's locked in You know so obviously that that goes without saying So I mean it's those those are those are two that come off come off the top of it And the last one last one. What's your biggest pet peeve biggest pet peeve? Oh, man This is the one that we feel like people have really strong opinions. Yeah. Yeah. I hate slow movers. Yeah and complainers and just negative negativity, you know just just I can't stand it, you know, it's like like literally like I told you earlier Some stuff I'm just not going for you know some stuff. I'm just not like I just don't I won't I won't accept it in my home We're in my space and that's that's you know And I just because when you deal with stuff you let stuff slide is that's a slippery slope You know, and I made that mistake, you know so moving with some urgency like we care like we want to be here like we love what we doing and we happy to have some life and You know complaining and you know find a negativity. I'm straight on that No, I don't I don't like that don't bring that in our house. Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. No So fun For podcast and grady Jarrett, thank you so much for the time guys. Thank you so much rate review subscribe all the fun stuff That you're supposed to do and we'll have you back