Javon Kinlaw's career with the 49ers didn't go quite as he -- or anyone else -- had hoped. The No. 14 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft posted only five sacks and seven tackles for loss across four seasons with San Francisco. The defensive tackle struggled with injuries, limiting him to only 10 total games in 2021 and 2022 after a promising rookie campaign.
This offseason, Kinlaw rejoined his former defensive coordinator Robert Saleh with the New York Jets. During a training camp press conference last month, Kinlaw became emotional discussing his journey to the NFL and his ability to keep a positive attitude.
"I'm very religious. I talk to my mom a lot," Kinlaw told reporters. "My mom and my family -- they were the reason. I had a lot of dark days, and just to be able to touch that grass -- it's a big blessing.
The 6-foot-5, 320-pound lineman broke down at the podium, a testament to the magnitude of his difficult road to where he currently stands. Kinlaw immigrated to the United States from Trinidad and Tobago at the age of 2 alongside his mother and brothers; they struggled with homelessness through his early childhood.
"I've been through a lot," Kinlaw continued through visible emotions. "That's all I can say. But I never gave up. A lot of people would've given up. But I never gave up."
It's an important reminder about the humanity of professional athletes, many of whom -- like Kinlaw -- battle the same struggles as anyone else. And though he might not have met expectations in San Francisco, 49ers fans surely hope that he succeeds in a new setting alongside several other former members of the organization.
It won't take long for Kinlaw to reconvene against his original team, either. The Jets visit Levi's Stadium on September 9 for a Week 1 Monday Night Football showdown.
Before the 2021 season, Solomon Thomas was in Javon Kinlaw’s situation. He was a former first-round pick — a high one, too — whose career had stalled with the 49ers. His production teetered on the brink of disappointing. It was time for a reset. Thomas spent that year with the Raiders before inking a Jets deal in 2022 to reunite with coach Robert Saleh. Then, last year, he settled into a rhythm as a rotational piece on the defensive line and finished with a career-high five sacks, a breakthrough for someone who’d stopped worrying about meeting expectations. And throughout the Jets’ latest training camp, which wrapped up Thursday, Kinlaw has emerged as the next ex-49ers lineman who could revive his career with Gang Green. He was listed as a starter on the team’s unofficial depth chart and will have a chance to contribute next to Quinnen Williams on the interior of the line. Thomas’ 2023 season — the sacks, the most tackles for loss (seven) since his rookie year, the search for a jolt that ended when he stayed with the Jets, all of it — could now become the blueprint for Kinlaw’s revival.
“We have a similar career path,” Thomas said of Kinlaw, whose fifth-year option was declined by the 49ers ahead of the 2023 season. “High draft picks, things not going our way, whether it’s injuries, whether it’s doubt, whether it’s playing in certain positions, whatever it is. And … just his focus on himself and bought in and grown has been really cool.”
The pair overlapped for a season in San Francisco in 2020 — Saleh’s final year as defensive coordinator, Thomas’ final season before free agency after the 49ers declined his fifth-year option. Kinlaw, then a rookie as the No. 14 overall pick, was a 12-game starter with just 1.5 sacks. Thomas’ season ended in Week 2 when he tore his ACL. His stint in Las Vegas didn’t amount to long-term stability, either. But Thomas started to carve out a role with the Jets in 2022. That became the foundation for his career-best campaign when Thomas — with the help of his therapist, sports psychologist and family — “let go of expectations and let go of outcomes,” something that he said changed his career. Kinlaw’s addition, a $7.25 million deal following the three sacks in a contract year where he was finally healthy after the ACL tear, will again complicate Thomas’ path to significant, and starting, snaps in 2024. But that role could also lead to another revival. It already happened once with Thomas. Kinlaw’s performance in camp suggests it could happen again.
“We’re just seeing a new side of [Kinlaw],” Thomas said.
Jets defensive lineman Solomon Thomas had the best season of his career in 2023, recording a career-best 5 sacks and 7 tackles for loss. He credits the success, to the work he did last offseason to improve his mental health, and plans to carry that same mindset into the 2024 season.
"Last season was fun because I was just there," Thomas said. "I didn't try to force things to happen or reach for anything. This game of football is so special and there is such a finite amount of time that we get to do this. It is such a cool and surreal experience being able to grow the way I did last year."
Thomas, who signed a one-year deal with the Jets this past March, played an integral role in HC Robert Saleh's and DC Jeff Ulbrich's rotational defensive line last season. He played in all 17 games (3 starts) and received a 62.5 grade on Pro Football Focus – third-highest on the team behind Pro Bowlers Quinnen Williams and Jermaine Johnson.
"I started to let go of expectations and let go of outcomes and focus on the process," Thomas said. "The production will show up in the games without having to force it. Sometimes you want something so bad that your try to force it and you end up pushing it away. Believing in myself is the biggest part for me."
When most players make improvements from year to year, it is normally because of a physical change. Thomas worked closely with a therapist and sport psychologist over the 2023 offseason.
"I learned to love myself through my anxieties and my doubts and worries," Thomas said. "I have also done a lot of personal work, unapologetically. Learning how to be present and not attach myself to the production of this game. It took a lot of work. I am not perfect and still fall back into my old habits, but I am surrounded by people that remind me to live my new way."
Thomas's improvements have carried over to this summer. The former Stanford defensive lineman has had a strong training camp. Wednesday, during a joint practice with the Giants, Thomas won a pair of reps against RG Greg Van Roten in one-on-ones.
To begin the 2024 regular season, the Jets will travel to California to take on Thomas's former team on Monday night Sept. 9. The 49ers drafted Thomas third overall in 2017 and he went on to play four seasons with them before signing with Raiders and later the Jets.
Thomas is eager to return to the West Coast, not only to see friends and family, but to show off the new and improved version of himself heading into his eighth professional season.
"San Fran is a second home for me," Thomas said. "I went to school in that city, and I am excited to get back there. I get to play against one of my best friends in Christian McCaffrey and play in the place I started my career. I get to play my 100th NFL game there. Every game is the same, but I am super excited for this one."
It's been a long road for Javon Kinlaw.
The New York Jets defensive tackle recently discussed his journey thus far, fighting back tears while reflecting on how he's made it from homelessness to the NFL.
“I’ve been through a lot, you know,” Kinlaw said at a team press conference while wiping away tears. “That’s all I can really say, but I never gave up. A lot of people would’ve gave up. But I never gave up.”
The 26-year-old only signed with the Jets this offseason after spending his first four seasons in the league with the San Francisco 49ers.
The defensive lineman out of South Carolina was selected in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft (No. 14) with big expectations.
But prior to that Kinlaw had endured a difficult childhood that saw him immigrate to the United States in 1998 from Trinidad and Tobago with his single mother and three brothers.
Javon was just two years old when he made the cross-nation switch with his family. They initially settled in Washington, D.C. before moving to Mississippi then South Carolina.
"We had gas, a gas stove," Kinlaw told ESPN about his time in the nation's capital.
"We would light the stove with a little match or something, get a tall pot, boil the water, mix it with some cold water, put it in a bucket, take it upstairs, take a shower like that."
However, the family struggled with homelessness and found ways to get by, by staying with friends of his mother, often in basements without necessities like electricity or running water.
In 2013, Kinlaw moved to Charleston to live with his father, George, where he enrolled at North Charleston High. There were struggles there too as his father was reportedly an alcoholic and got physical with him at times.
Jevon lived with friends for a while and eventually put all his energy into football which he had a natural proclivity for.
As a 6ft 5in, 260lb sophomore, he played both offensive and defensive line, and earned an invite to the U.S. Army All-American game.
He eventually earned his GED certificate at Jones County Junior College in Mississippi and got an associate degree before transferring to South Carolina where he became one of the country’s best defensive linemen for the Gamecocks.
His daughter Eden was born in the summer of 2019 and a year later he was drafted by the Niners.
Current Jets head coach Robert Saleh was San Francisco's defensive coordinator under Kyle Shanahan at the time and saw something special in the young defensive tackle.
"I love his mindset, I love his practice habits," Saleh said of Kinlaw in 2021.
Kinlaw played one season under Saleh as a rookie and in 14 games (12 starts) had 33 tackles, 1.5 sacks, four passes defensed and returned an interception for a touchdown against the Los Angeles Rams.
But over the next two years he was limited to just ten games because of injuries that landed him on injured reserve both seasons. The now 330lb D-lineman didn’t get another sack until last season, when he had a career-best 3.5 while playing 17 games for the first time. He also racked up 25 total tackles to go along with three defended passes.
In March 2024 he signed a one-year contract with the Jets to beef up what could be the NFL's No. 1 defense in 2024. The fifth-year DT joins an already intimidating defensive unit with the likes of Jermaine Johnson II, Quinnen Williams, Solomon Thomas, Leki Fotu, Micheal Clemons and Will McDonald.
The Jets have the longest playoff drought (2010) among all four of the major sports in North America, but will hope to end that run this season with a healthy Aaron Rodgers under center and a loaded offense that includes NFL Offensive Player of the Year candidates Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall.
“I think I fit in very well,” Kinlaw said. “Just another power guy. I think I’m very explosive, as well. Just as as much as everybody else that’s on the D-line. I just can’t wait to get to battle with these guys.”
"This year's been my first time feeling like I can really be who I think I can be, who I know I can be," he said.
"I feel amazing. I feel super explosive, I feel violent out there. I feel like I'm getting a lot of knockback, holding strong on double teams. That was my main thing this offseason, really work on sustaining on those double teams because I feel like I'm a big guy. Guys don't really come off of me."
There's a lot of new for Jets DT Javon Kinlaw. New team, new number, new body and new level of production (thus far) are a few examples. Most important, however, is his newfound confidence.
"This year's been my first time feeling like I can really be who I think I can be, who I know I can be." Kinlaw said. "Point blank. Period. When I was coming out, I knew it was going to take me some time. I remember somebody asking me what I rank myself amongst the guys at the Combine, and I said, 'As of now I'm not really the best guy, but 10 years from now I will be.' And I still feel that way."
The No. 14 pick in 2020 out of South Carolina enters Year 5 in the NFL after adding about 30 pounds of muscle mass in large part because of a protein-heavy diet that includes nine eggs in the morning and six chicken breasts for lunch. The extra muscle hasn't slowed down the 6-5, now 330 pounder. It's had the opposite effect.
"I feel amazing," he said. "I feel super explosive, I feel violent out there. I feel like I'm getting a lot of knockback, holding strong on double teams. That was my main thing this offseason, really work on sustaining on those double teams because I feel like I'm a big guy. Guys don't really come off of me."
Kinlaw, despite a lot of new, has some familiar faces with the Green & White such as fellow DT Solomon Thomas, his teammate in San Francisco for one season. Jets HC Robert Saleh was Kinlaw's defensive coordinator in 2020 and while Kinlaw has yet to make his debut in green and white, Saleh is encouraged by what he saw on the practice field against the Panthers last Thursday.
"He was unblockable, in my opinion," he said. "There's things he's got to work on. We've talked about those things where, he's just so powerful and creating so much knockback that he's actually creating vertical seams in the defense, so we're working on some things to help him transition, not only in the game run, but in the pass.
"He's in a great frame of mind and looking forward to watching him have a dominant year."
Last season, Kinlaw had a career-high 3.5 sacks and 3 pass defenses to go along with 25 tackles. He may look the same in person -- he was always a specimen of a human before the added weight -- but he's a different player on tape, even to himself.
"It's a humbling experience, man, but it makes you want to go even further, you know?" he said. "It makes you just always want to push that button and always see how much further you can go. How can I reach my potential? That's always the ultimate goal with me, how can I reach my maximum potential? I'm striving for it every day. When I cut that film on, it's a blessing at the end of the day."
Kinlaw's dedication and discipline were instilled by his mother, who would hang 60-pound boards of sheet rock to make money during Kinlaw's childhood. His hard work is on the brink of paying off. There's a saying that success occurs when opportunity meets preparation. Kinlaw's version is a little different.
"The health caught up to the work ethic," he said. "And the work ethic has always been crazy. I've been able to do some crazy things out there. Just going back and watching the film I'm putting down right now it's like, '[Shoot], I can really do this thing.' "
The New York Jets made quite a few big moves throughout the course of the NFL offseason. One of those moves was to sign former San Francisco 49ers defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw.
Standing in at 6-foot-5 and 320 pounds, Kinlaw is an intimidating presence on the defensive line. He is coming off his best season in four NFL campaigns.
During the 2023 season with the 49ers, Kinlaw was finally able to stay healthy. He played in 17 games, racking up 25 total tackles to go along with 3.5 sacks and three defended passes.
Now, he's focused on becoming an integral part of the Jets' defensive line.
Ahead of the 2024 season, Kinlaw sent out a bold message to the rest of the NFL. He's clearly ready to get to work and live up to the potential that made him the No. 14 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
"This year's been my first time feeling like I can really be who I think I can be, who I know I can be. Point blank. Period. When I was coming out, I knew it was going to take me some time. I remember somebody asking me what I rank myself amongst the guys at the Combine, and I said, 'As of now I'm not really the best guy, but 10 years from now I will be.' And I still feel that way."
He continued on, opening up about how he feels and using the word "violent" to describe it.
"I feel amazing. I feel super explosive, I feel violent out there. I feel like I'm getting a lot of knockback, holding strong on double teams. That was my main thing this offseason, really work on sustaining on those double teams because I feel like I'm a big guy. Guys don't really come off of me."
Looking ahead at the upcoming season, New York is expected to have a top-three defense. In fact, on paper, they are talented enough to end up as the No. 1 defense in the league.
At 26 years old, Kinlaw is headed into the physical prime of his career. He's in a system that fits his skillset and he is expected to be a big part of helping the Jets compete for a Super Bowl.
Hopefully, he'll be able to stay healthy and live up to the expectations he has set for himself. If he can do that, New York will be in a very good place on the defensive line.
