"At 10 years old, I thought that was the greatest thing — the manager of the club wanted to get me Gatorade," Jansen said with a grin. "The Giants scored 10 runs in the first inning that day, so I'm running back and forth, one of the players was swinging a bat warming up, and hit me right onto of the head. Luckily batboys were wearing helmets, so I was safe."
But those simple memories also speak to the professional reality — it's kind of cool to play sports for a living.
Asked how much longer he wants to try to play in the NFL, and Jansen answers quickly: "Five more years. I've got a lot to get better at."
It's a confident answer, and there are snappers doing it at older ages. But he also knows it's not completely in his control.
But he knows he digs what he's doing now. He lives in a great neighborhood, with his wife and four kids (ages 8, 6, 4, and 2). He's running around with guys barely more than half his age. He makes a comfortable living. And he's great at what he does, a master of this arcane skill that allows this lifestyle.
"This is a great way to make a living," he said with an easy smile, as he surveyed the Charlotte skyline, the immaculate practice facility, and his surroundings. We joke; they pay us hundreds of dollars to do this. We get to be on a field, in beautiful Charlotte, you get to run around with your teammates, be pushed to be the very best you can be, and at least my sons think I'm fairly cool because I play sports. My daughters could care less, my wife could care less, but my sons do, so I'm going to milk it as long as I can."
But he doesn't just get to hang around because he likes it. It takes talent. And showing up, the same way, every day. Knowing that there's never going to be confetti, or fanfare, or attention.
Just work.
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