GLENDALE, Ariz. — The preseason is officially upon us, Bird Gang! That means the return of the Emmy-award-winning Cardinals Locker Room on 12News, the official home of the Arizona Cardinals.
Throughout the season, Cardinals Locker Room host Lina Washington will be sharing exclusive interviews in a segment called “Lina’s Lounge.”
This week, Lina is caught up with Cardinals safety Jalen Thompson. The 24-year-old has already garnered a lot of attention in training camp as he’s been tapped with play-calling duties on defense. While wearing a mic in his helmet is something new to Thompson, being called “underrated” is not.
Since being selected in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Supplemental Draft, the Washington State product has developed into one of the best open-field tacklers in the NFL.
Between his production on the field and his leadership in the locker room, Thompson has emerged as a standout player on Vance Joseph’s defense. He is entering the final year of his rookie contract and will be an unrestricted free agent next offseason.
But as Thompson explains, landing a big-time contract isn’t the only thing fueling him heading into the 2022-2023 season.
Here's Lina's conversation with Thompson in full:
Lina Washington: Jalen, we'll be talking about the future in the season a little bit, but I want to know how you spent your offseason. Did you go back to Cali? Did you get out of the country? How did you spend your summer?
Jalen Thompson: Oh, really, I spent the summer just working out. After our last game, I took like, maybe two weeks off. I got right back to training, you know, felt like this is a big year for us big year for our team.
LW: It's a big year for the team but it's a big year for you. It's a contract year. Do you think about that? Is that any motivation coming in?
JT: Oh, a little bit, but I try not to let that you know, wrap my mind, you know, just trying to stay focused on the players and on the team and what I got to do.
LW: You've already made an impression in training camp; we've learned that you've been wearing the green dot in practice. What's that experience been like for you?
JT: Oh, pretty fun. You know what I mean? is helping my communication as a safety so that's pretty good for the whole defense, I feel like.
LW: I think last season even though you had a career year, you were kind of underrated. I think "under the radar" is a phrase that I saw tied with your name a lot. Did you feel that way at all?
JT: Definitely. Definitely. I felt like I was underrated. But just with me that's it's been like that my whole life I've been I've always been underrated. So, it's nothing new to me. Nothing new.
LW: So, now that you're part of this tandem with Budda Baker, do you see yourself competing on that level or are you guys both kind of ‘iron sharpens iron’ with it this season?
JT: 100% He makes me better and make him better and film room on the field. So as big time and then guys like Isaiah [Simmons], Murph [Byron Murphy] too, they’re in those talks as well.
LW: Do you have any personal goals for yourself? Are we looking at numbers? Are we looking at Pro Bowl? What do you have on your vision board?
JT: Just to be the best safety I can be. Hopefully, make All-Pro and take this team to the Super Bowl. That's the biggest thing.
LW: I know that's part of the motivation for a lot of the guys in this locker room. You don't want any other team in this locker come February, right?
JT: Exactly. Exactly. It's big time having it out here. So hopefully we can keep that going. And, you know, have Arizona in the Super Bowl this year.
LW: We can hear the bass bump in from the other side of the locker room so I have to know is it you on the aux cord or who's blasting the pre-practice jams?
JT: Sometimes it's me, sometimes it's Eno, you know what I mean? Sometimes it's Murphy. I got to play my [NBA] YoungBoy though. Everybody knows that I'm a YoungBoy fan.
LW: OK, well, you and the [Phoenix] Suns have to connect because they're YoungBoy fans over there for sure. They get it going with that. Do you have a specific motto or is there anything this team is echoing going into the 2022 season?
JT: The motto for me is just to be consistent and be intentional. That are the two things I've been saying every time I stepped on the field: intentional and consistent. I feel like if we do those things there's no way we can’t go to the Super Bowl.
LW: My last one for you is do you let the way last season ended motivate you this season or do you flush it and move forward?
JT: Oh, definitely motivated. You know it left a bad taste in our mouth from last season, but I feel like we just use that to motivate us. We’re going into this season with a chip on our shoulder.
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