When safety Bradley McDougald first got the call from Seattle GM John Schneider last weekend that he was traded, it kind of threw him for a loop.
“At first, I felt kind of struck, I felt kind of abandoned, like they kicked me out, like they didn’t care about me or value me there,” said McDougald.
Then when it started to sink in more, he started to dig the idea of playing for the New York Jets, the team that acquired him for safety Jamal Adams and three draft picks.
“Then I started to think about how much of a blessing this was, another opportunity,” McDougald said. “It’s actually a better space for me to be in. I can come into a program that wanted me to be there. They did their homework on me and traded for me. So I started to think about all the positives.”
Obviously trades are part of the business in pro sports.
“I’m not the first guy to ever get traded, and I’m not the last guy to ever get traded to a team,” McDougald said. “I had no time to feel sorry for myself or focus on anything negative, other than coming into a new program, earn my respect from the players and the coaches, and go out there and be the best me in New York.”
As a player who entered the league as an undrafted free agent with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2013, he always values opportunities to play, no matter where.
“For me personally, this is just another opportunity,” McDougald said. “As an undrafted kid, that is all you ever wanted was an opportunity to go out there, an opportunity to play, and prove yourself, and this is no different.
“You have one job to do to go out there and perform. Your value doesn’t change because of the uniform you put on.”
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