Let me get this straight. A kid from Ohio becomes a YouTuber, becomes a boxer, fights a bunch of former UFC champions, fights Mike Tyson, makes $100 million, and now looks at the NFL and goes: "Yeah, that looks easy."
You can't make this stuff up. And that's exactly why I love it.
What He Actually Said - And Where He Said It
Jake didn't mumble this on a podcast at 2 a.m. He said it on the record at Fanatics Fest this week in an interview with Front Office Sports that went nuclear.
Quote 1, the business pitch:
"I have a couple teams and coaches that I've already talked to who are interested in bringing me on to the team," Paul said, though he referred to a prospective NFL career as something he would do "after boxing."
He doubled down on how easy he thinks it will be:
“I have a couple of teams and coaches that I’ve already talked to that are interested in bringing me onto the team. It’s really going to be quite easy,”
Quote 2, the disrespect heard around the league:
"I think there's a lot of super-mediocrity in the NFL, a lot of not good athletes, a lot of people dropping passes on a consistent basis," Paul said. "I have better hands than them, I'm faster than them, I'm stronger than them, I work harder than them." Quote 3, the game plan:
“I think there’s a lot of super mediocrity in the NFL, a lot of not good athletes, a lot of people dropping passes on a consistent basis,” Paul told Front Office Sports at Fanatics Fest. “I have better hands in them. I’m faster than them. I’m stronger than them. I work harder than them. Really, all it’s gonna take is just me after boxing practicing some routes. I have a couple teams and coaches that I’ve already talked to that are interested in bringing me on to the team. It’s really gonna be quite easy.”
He also said his dream landing spot is Cleveland. Quote: “I’d love to go to the Cleveland Browns, been a Browns fan my whole entire life," and added they could use some good receivers. He also floated Dallas, because of course he did. Jerry Jones loves a circus and Jake IS the circus.
He's even talked about walking on at Stanford first to prove it, which prompted Shawne Merriman to say he lost his mind. Which is fair. That's Merriman's job.
Does He Have ANY Football Background?
This is the part where NFL Twitter gets really mad.
Yes. Sort of.
Paul attended Westlake High School outside of Cleveland, and he did play football.
The problem? He left high school by his junior year to go out west and pursue entertainment dreams with his brother Logan. There are no readily available statistics of Paul from those days.
In fact, Paul has not competed in organized football since his high school days at Westlake High School in Ohio. He dropped out after two years at Westlake before finishing his degree online.
So his last organized tackle football game was probably around age 16. He is now 29, turning 30 in January. That's 13-14 years of rust. That's not rust, that's an archaeological dig.
My Take - From One Vegas Betting Man To Another
Here's where I'm going to piss off the football purists, and I don't care. I'm writing this from Vegas.
In my opinion, if a guy can survive boxing - which in my opinion is the hardest sport in the world to compete in - I don't think it's that much of a long shot for him to make an NFL roster.
Think about it. Boxing is you, alone, with nowhere to hide. No offensive line. No zone coverage to blame. Just you and another guy trying to take your head off for 8-10 rounds. Jake did that. He stepped in there with Mike Tyson. His brother Logan got in there with Floyd Mayweather - boxing royalty. Most NFL wide receivers would tap out if you asked them to spar three rounds without throwing up.
So if he says he wants to play slot receiver, I think he could possibly do it. And let's be honest about the business of the NFL - they might even put him on the roster just to sell jerseys. You think the Browns or Cowboys wouldn't sell 100,000 Jake Paul #1 jerseys in a week? Come on. This is a league that put a punter in the Pro Bowl fan vote because he was funny on TikTok. They understand marketing.
If I had to put my money on it - and I live in Vegas, so I literally put money on everything - I really don't think there's anything this guy can't accomplish. I'm actually a fan. I think he just likes to play the bad guy. That's his shtick and I understand it. He plays the role really good. Heel work. Floyd did it. Conor did it. Jake learned it better than anyone from Disney Channel.
But behind the shtick, the guy is DEDICATED. Everything he says he's going to do, he has done. "I'm going to be a boxer" - everyone laughed, now he's 12-2 with wins over real fighters. "I'm going to fight Tyson on Netflix in front of 70 million people" - did it.
So now he's saying "I'm going to practice some routes" and everyone is laughing again.
I've seen this movie before. I wouldn't bet against him.
Would he get absolutely rocked on his first crossing route by a 240-pound linebacker? Probably. Would he get up, talk trash, and sell the Prime energy drink cutaway on the Jumbotron? Absolutely.
And that's why the NFL might just be dumb enough, and smart enough, to let him try.