Standing behind 20 people, waiting to sign his contract with the Tampa Vipers, an XFL team, P.J. Locke faced a dilemma.
It was the fall of 2019, and the hard-hitting safety had just gone through one of the roughest times in his career. In August, the Pittsburgh Steelers cut him after signing him as an undrafted free agent out of Texas. While stuck in football purgatory, Locke’s pockets had dried up.
The XFL presented a chance to earn cash while continuing to play a sport that’s been a part of his life since childhood. Still, the desire to be an NFL player weighed heavy on his heart.
One night in 2011, Locke wandered into the bedroom of his dad, James Locke Jr., and promised he would do whatever it took to play on football’s biggest stage.
“Are you willing to do whatever it takes?” James asked Locke before his son went to a computer and typed up a contract, saying he would make the necessary sacrifices to reach the NFL. “He brought it to my bedroom, and we signed it on March 17, 2011. From that day forward, he did something every day to (get) better.”
Locke — a Beaumont, Texas native — approached the iPad to sign his deal with the Vipers when the device crashed. Maybe fate had other plans.
While he waited for the iPad to restart, Locke received a text message from his agent, saying he could play in the XFL or work out for the Indianapolis Colts and Broncos, even though it was uncertain that he would make the roster. “I didn’t know what to do,” he told The Denver Post.
Time was running out. He reached out to James, who told him to get on the plane and go to the workouts. But that meant turning down guaranteed money. Locke’s life-changing decision ultimately came down to the memory of his late grandmother, Carolene, and his family’s Christian beliefs about snakes being symbols of the devil.
“I knew my grandma would flip over her grave if she knew I was playing for a team (whose mascot) was a snake, so I’m gonna bet on myself,” Locke said as he walked away from the XFL and went to Denver.
Locke’s journey has been unconventional, but his grit and faith allowed him to reap the benefits. He signed to the Broncos practice squad and spent three seasons as a core special teamer before having a career year in 2023, which resulted in a two-year, $7 million deal and an opportunity to have a significant role in Denver’s secondary this fall.
“I’m in a way better place,” he said.
“I needed the money, man”
Locke was conditioned to withstand anything that came at him.
When he was 10, James told him to go to the front yard with his football uniform. “His pants were baggy, and his pads twisted to the side,” James said. “Nothing fit right on him.”
P.J. got into a three-point stance before James asked “Are you steady?” Suddenly, James took his forearm and hit Locke, causing his son to fly backward. With his helmet twisted sideways, P.J. sat up and said, “Daddy, why did you do that?”
“If you survived that hit from me, nobody is going to hit you that hard,” James told his son.
Later, James thought he may have created a monster because P.J. took those words literally. According to James, Locke played youth football as if he were invincible, no longer afraid of taking contact or initiating it. That fearless mindset traveled with Locke throughout his football career.
At Texas, Locke became a physical player who delivered impactful hits. For former Longhorns safeties coach Craig Naivar, Locke’s mental toughness was just as valuable.
“That young man personifies grit,” said Naivar, now the defensive coordinator and safeties coach at Coastal Carolina. “He’s going to find a way to get the job done.”
Eventually, Locke learned it would take a special kind of grit to withstand the business of the NFL.
After Locke started in 30 career games with the Longhorns, he signed a deal with the Steelers that included a $2,000 signing bonus.
“But I ended up getting like $1,300 after taxes,” Locke added.
Locke understood the uphill climb it would take to make the 53-man roster, so his intuition told him to save the money just in case of a rainy day.
Sure enough, on Aug. 31, it poured. Locke went through the entire preseason before being waived during the final roster cuts. He called James to deliver the bad news that his NFL dreams were put on hold.
“I just remember that phone call. … He said, ‘Dad, I’m coming home,’” James recalled. “He was encouraged that he would at least be on the practice squad and have an opportunity to make the roster. But at the last minute, something happened, and they cut him.”
Back in Beaumont, Locke’s football career was in limbo. James said P.J. was shell-shocked. As a standout player at the youth, high school and college levels, P.J. had never been cut. The idea of an NFL team saying he wasn’t good enough took a toll.
With his signing bonus from Pittsburgh running low, he started working at his dad’s construction company, overseeing projects. James has owned the company for 25 years, and P.J. worked for him every day in the morning before training in the afternoon. During that time, James noticed his son’s hunger to get back on the field.
Locke saw an opportunity to play football again when he was drafted by the Vipers in the XFL — which would merge with the USFL to form the UFL in 2023. He flew to Florida for practice and to sign a contract that required him to play the entire season, even if an NFL team wanted him.
With the XFL, Colts and Broncos awaiting his decision, Locke stuck true to his faith.
“I needed the money, man. … (But) my family doesn’t like snakes,” said Locke, who also turned down a college scholarship to play at Arizona State because their mascot is a Sun Devil.
He left Tampa and went to Indianapolis, where the Colts said they would consider signing him to a futures deal. Two weeks later, the Broncos told him the same thing.
“I missed out on money,” Locke said to himself as he returned to Texas, hoping to hear back from either team.
After he attended a December graduation for his then-girlfriend, Janeil — whom he married in 2020 — the Broncos called, saying they wanted to sign him to the practice squad.
“Those are snaps he’s earned”
Locke was back in the NFL, but his financial situation remained the same. He had less than $200 to his name, and when he arrived in Denver, the organization had already given out its biweekly paychecks to players.
“It was the last two weeks of the season, too, so I had to make this (money) stretch,” said Locke, who would get his breakfast, lunch and dinner from the training facility before returning to the hotel the Broncos had him staying in at the time.“That’s how I was saving money (until) I got the check that pretty much held me down for the rest of the offseason.”
When the Broncos secondary gathered for a meal at STK, an upscale steakhouse where the most affordable entrée is a $21 platter of chicken fingers, Locke had to come clean with his teammates.
Former Broncos safeties Justin Simmons and Kareem Jackson helped foot the bill. And after that night, Locke put his head down and went to work.
He knew there would be more dinners in the future, plus he had a son on the way, so he had to do whatever it took to stay in the league. Following training camp in 2020, Locke was cut from the Broncos but immediately signed to the practice squad. Eight days later, Denver elevated him to the active roster ahead of its season-opening matchup against the Tennessee Titans.
Locke made a name for himself on special teams for three seasons until taking his game to another level in 2023. He had a conversation with head coach Sean Payton about his role on defense and how he wanted to be a player that brought pressure on the quarterback.
While Jackson faced multiple suspensions due to illegal hits, Locke took advantage of the opportunity, starting in eight of 12 games played. He recorded his first career interception to secure Denver’s win over the Green Bay Packers in Week 7. Later, Locke recorded a sack in three straight contests. He finished the season posting career bests in tackles (53), sacks (three), passes defended (five) and defensive snaps (539).
“He’s smart and he’s tough. Those are snaps he’s earned,” Payton said.
The Broncos rewarded Locke for his efforts, signing him to a deal with an average salary of $3.5 million and a $2 million signing bonus, according to Over the Cap.
“I’ve been speaking things into existence”
Locke is not satisfied, and that may be a good thing.
With Simmons no longer on the team, Denver will need Locke to take on a larger role. Through three weeks of organized team activities, Payton noticed Locke stepping up as a leader within the secondary — a role Simmons had been known for.
Even though Locke feels he is still writing his testimony, he said it’s important to share his story with the rest of his teammates so they can keep striving toward their goals.
“I’m excited. The secondary couldn’t be left in better hands with (Locke) and (cornerback) Pat (Surtain II) leading the charge,” Simmons said.
Locke hasn’t stopped smiling since signing his new deal. Not only did he buy a home in Colorado, but the contract allowed him to continue living up to the promise he made to his father.
“I’ve been speaking things into existence,” Locke said. “That’s what it’s all about.”
Broncos reporter Parker Gabriel contributed to this story.
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