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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Sometimes, all it takes is one phone call to change a life. In Laquon Treadwell’s case, that one call may have saved his career. It was to a mental coach, and Treadwell said it changed everything about the way he approached football. His state of mind. His outlook. Even the way his body feels. The former first-round pick credits that for helping him go from unemployed to being in good position to make the Jacksonville Jaguars’ 53-man roster as their fifth receiver. “I do feel different. My mindset is different. My body is different,” Treadwell said. “My focus is just a lot different from years before. I do not have to worry about too much of anything else but what is in front of me and where I am at right now. That is probably the biggest difference -- just being in my present moment and keep getting better every day. “… He [his mental coach] gave me some tips to use throughout the season and throughout training camp. I have just been applying that, being present, being in my moment. Everything I need is still in front of me. I just have to be present, continue to push myself, continue to be better and don’t worry about what anyone else is talking about. I just have to focus on what I need to do and what I have to accomplish.” Treadwell politely declined to give out the name of his mental coach because he said he wanted to keep that information personal, but he did detail some of the things they talked about. One of the important things Treadwell learned was to ask himself "why?" “I told him my story, my background, what I’ve been going through throughout my career,” Treadwell said. “Different things, mental barriers that I’ve been challenged with throughout my career. He basically was like, ‘Why does that matter?’ It struck me, like, it doesn’t. Whatever I’ve been through, it doesn’t matter in this moment. Wherever I’m at right now, it didn’t matter. “He allowed me to basically start fresh and not let everything else dictate how I’m going to go about my business moving forward. That’s been the biggest difference for me on and off the field.” Treadwell definitely needed a fresh start after things didn’t work in Minnesota and Atlanta. The Vikings drafted him 23rd overall in 2016 after he left Ole Miss as the school’s all-time receptions leader (202). Treadwell played in only nine games and caught just one pass for 15 yards as a rookie. He missed only four games in the next three seasons and caught 64 passes for 686 yards and two touchdowns.
The Vikings declined to pick up his fifth-year option, so he was a free agent after 2019 and ended up with Atlanta. He was released during final cuts, came back to the Falcons on the practice squad and eventually made it back to the active roster, where he caught six passes for 49 yards and two touchdowns in five games in 2020. The Falcons declined to re-sign him, and Treadwell was unable to find any takers during free agency. He made the decision to work with a mental coach in the spring and had a workout with Buffalo that didn’t pan out. His workout with the Jaguars a week later did, however, and he signed on June 18. With Marvin Jones Jr., DJ Chark Jr., Laviska Shenault Jr. and returner Jamal Agnew locking up the top four receiver spots, Treadwell is competing with seven other players for two -- possibly three -- spots. Treadwell has had a good camp, and by taking advantage of injuries to Chark, Phillip Dorsett II and several other receivers, he seems to be one of the front-runners of that group heading into the final preseason game. “Laquon’s really been impressive as he’s been here,” offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell said. “I think he’s worked his tail off. With the guys that have been down ahead of him, it’s given him a lot of opportunities to be out on the field, and he’s making most of the plays that are coming his way, so I like what he’s doing.” Rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence said he likes working with Treadwell and said he’s been helpful. “He has some experience, just a guy that knows football, he’s really smart and works super hard,” Lawrence said. “There’s not anyone that’s going to out-work him, and he always just wants to get better. That’s something I’ve been impressed with. He’ll come to me [with] stuff he sees, stuff that I see. He just communicates really well, and if he doesn’t do something right and you tell him and correct him, he’s right on it and fixes it. “So, that’s a guy you like to play with and you’re always on the same page.” Even though Treadwell says he’s in a much better place physically and mentally, he doesn’t wish he had talked to a mental coach sooner. “No, absolutely not,” he said. “If I did it sooner then a lot of things wouldn’t happen. I wouldn’t be able to hire him now because I would have thought I had it already. Mental health, everyone is talking about it now, and that’s a huge thing that’s going on in the world. Whether you’re at the top of your game or you’re trying to climb up again. It’s all about your mental play. You have to stay on top of your mental [health] and stay healthy there, and also take care of your body, and your game will follow. “I’ve just been paying attention to a lot of my mental thoughts and making sure I’m thinking the right things. Putting the right food in my body and fueling myself the right way. Going out and performing the best way I can.” Possibly salvaging his career.
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