TE Tyler Conklin joins reflects on his career on 'The Insiders'
Detroit Lions tight end Tyler Conklin joins "The Insiders" to discuss his offseason preparation.
Video Transcript
There's the family right there as Tyler Conklin signs his new deal with the Detroit Lions, a whole family of new members of the Lions organization, very cool and obviously very important signing for the Lions offense and the entire organization and also our guest right here right now.
On the Insiders, Tyler, thank you very much for joining us on The Insiders.
We got a lot to get, uh, a lot to get to with you, but I wanna start at June 27th at Laan Cruz High School.
That is the 2026 version of the Tyler Conklin Foundation Youth Football Day at youth Football camp and Community Day.
Uh, why don't you tell us about what you have done with your camp, with your foundation, which I believe is the first time in the Michigan area for you.
Yeah, thanks for having me.
Um, yeah, so the foundation I started last year and throughout my career I always like, you know, when I was in Minnesota, there's a lot of older guys.
Everybody had a foundation, Adam Thielen, Kyle Rudolph, and there's always something I wanted to do, um, but obviously for a long time just trying to figure out how to, how to survive in the NFL.
So last year I felt like I was, you know, in a good situation to kind of kick it off and Uh, you know, our, our mission, our goal is to, you know, support our community and mentor our youth through athletics, and, uh, the, you know, our camp slash community day is, is one of those kind of annual events that, you know, we, we host trying to bring the community together , um, you know, obviously for football with, with two different.
Uh, you know, camps, one for younger kids, one for older kids, but also just with a lot of fun things, whether it's we got cornhole, basketball, face paint, bouncy houses, food trucks, uh, really just trying to make it a day where we can get people in the community, whether it's, you know, you're coming because your kids are in the camp or you're just coming to hang out with, you know, kids, um, you know, families, whatever it may be, um, and just kind of try to create something that people look forward to in the summer.
It's especially cool since you're from Michigan.
You grew up there, you went to college there, and now you're back.
How meaningful is that to you to be back in Michigan now at this point in your career?
Yeah, it's awesome, uh.
And I guess I never really thought I would, I would play here, but it is a really cool kind of full circle moment, the way things have kind of played out over the last couple of years, you know, good and bad, the way you kind of look at things and just wonder.
I'm a firm believer everything happens for a reason, and it always kind of has throughout my career, and to be back here, it just kind of feels like everything happened the way it was supposed to.
So you're a late round draft pick and obviously the Detroit Lions, like a lot of teams, have the draft picks all coming in.
You guys are gonna join together in OTAs pretty soon.
There's several of them who are trying to make it in the NFL.
You are a success story entering, I believe it is your 9th season, 8th or 9th, whatever it is , in the NFL.
Several teams still doing it, still a key member of an organization.
What advice would you have to some of the, are you, are you going to have for some of these new late-round draft picks trying to make it like you did?
Yeah, uh, going to year 9, right, when I first got in the NFL, I was like, ah, can I play a decade?
I don't know why.
You know, obviously it sounds good, it's always kind of a goal with me, and I think that's kind of a big thing throughout my career has been, you know, setting goals and then creating systems to kind of reach those goals.
And, uh, you know, that'd probably be my advice, right?
Like, I think systems overall, you know, the way you go about your recovery, the way you go about practice, studying the playbook, you know, all those different things , I think, um, are what have really helped me.
Um, you know, get to year 9.
I think being a walk-on in college, you know, played a lot, played into that too, just knowing how to take advantage of opportunities, you know, when they're a little more slim maybe than some other people.
Uh, but yeah, I think it's all about just systems and, and, you know, a lot of times keeping your mouth shut and doing things the right way, earning your stripes, and, um, you know, I think that's kind of what's got me here.
You and Drew Petzing overlapped earlier in your career, right, uh, with the Vikings.
What, what has he told you?
What have the folks in the organization told you about how they plan to use you this year?
Yes, when I first got there, uh, Coach Pesson was the assistant receiver coach in 18 and 19.
Uh, you know, I was just swimming trying to figure out how to, how to last, uh.
You know, honestly, I haven't really sat down.
I can't say I've sat down and said, hey, how are you going to use me?
How is this going to, how's this going to work out?
I think for me it's more so, I've been looking forward to coming here and showing, you know, what I can do on a football field.
I feel like every time I go somewhere I can, you know, I kind of surprise people with what I can do, and I think a lot of times, especially the tight end position, really all positions, it's just.
You know, what's the situation?
Does it fit you?
What are they asking you to do?
Are they helping you be in good situations?
Uh, for me it's like how can I, you know, get on the field and play meaningful snaps and help this team win and get to where, you know, they want to go and we want to go, and, uh, you know, I think in a lot of ways I can do that, um, with things that they've seen me do on film and also in, you know, ways and things I'll show them in practice where maybe they didn't know I could do that, but I'll be able to.
Justin Herbert last year with the Chargers, you got Jared Goff this year with the Detroit Lions.
You played with some other good ones, but what do you expect?
What have you seen, if you've seen anything thus far of Jared Goff, the, uh, trigger man of this Detroit Lions offense?
Yeah, I obviously haven't been here too long, you know, yet, but, uh, routes on air and just kind of the in in the meetings and the way he goes about things, uh, I think is what stuck out me and throw a really catch the ball, super accurate, but just kind of the way he talks about whether it's a certain route or, you know, how he wants something done or how he sees something, if, you know, someone plays you this way and how you should run it, uh.
You know, I think that's something, you know, some quarterbacks are just, hey, like, go get open and, you know, do what the play says, and some give you a little more detail, and so far the way he kind of details things up and, you know , explains how he sees things, I think makes it really, uh, it makes it exciting as a route runner and a pass catcher, but it also just, you know, helps you have a cohesive unit.
Last season was kind of a disappointment for the Lions after they had been to the playoffs two straight seasons.
They missed the playoffs.
They still have a really high powered offense though.
What have you seen just in the limited time you've been there about maybe their mindset about going into the season, where they feel like they fit into what is an extremely competitive division and an extremely competitive conference?
Yeah, I definitely, you can feel the disappointment in how things played out, I think, uh, you know, the whole building feels like they, um, You know, underachieved and, and missing the playoffs really hurt, and, uh, you know, I think that shows in like how everybody comes to work every day, how everybody attacks work our lifts, our, our running, or on the field stuff.
Uh, it's definitely something that, you know, I've been in a mix of different situations throughout my career, whether it's Minnesota, New York, um, and you can definitely just like feel the sense of urgency of, you know, getting to where this team knows it can be.
All right, I got an important one.
So tomorrow is schedule release day.
You spent last year with the Chargers, I think it's fair to say one of the better social media teams in the NFL.
This is their time, right?
This is the social media team's time to put out their videos for the schedule release.
The Lions do an excellent job on digital and social as well.
How excited are you and what have you learned from your various times with some pretty good social teams about what in the world is coming tomorrow night?
Yeah, I feel like it's got more.
I don't remember it being a thing when I first got in the NFL, and I feel like over the last couple of years it's kind of just like become this thing of who can have the best schedule at least.
Uh, I'm also just really excited for people to stop asking me like, hey, who do you , like, what's your guys' schedule, like acting like I have some type of some secret knowledge of who we play and when we play and when we go to Germany and all these different things.
So I'm excited for the schedule to come out and people to stop asking me, uh, questions I don't have the answers to, but, uh.
Yeah, it'd be good.
The Chargers, they have a really good social media team, uh, but I think, um, I think Detroit's gonna have a good one this year.
Uh, speaking of social media, I saw that you are taking jiu-jitsu lessons.
What are you getting out of that?
Oh yeah, I mean, I've kind of gone down a little bit of a rabbit hole with just martial arts in general, there's jiu-jitsu, Muay Thai, boxing, you know, I just think there's a lot of things that You know, it can translate, whether it's hand fighting, the cardio, the, you know, jiu-jitsu really with like just a fight fighting leverage and, you know, winning the hand fights and and hand battles.
Uh, it's also just kind of a, a fun way to break up training and maybe kind of take off some of the monotony of just doing the same thing over and over again as, as my career, you know, goes on.
So, um, yeah, I mean, martial arts in general has been something I've, I've kind of dabbled in this offseason and really enjoyed.
Whatever it takes, man, get to year 10, hit your goal and keep on going.
Tyler, thank you very much for your time.
Appreciate you joining us on The Insiders and enjoy your foundation camp.
That sounds excellent.
Appreciate you, man.
Awesome, thank you guys.
I really appreciate it.
