The stress, the entire weekend, the pre-NFL Draft process – all of it weighed on Jeremiah Trotter for days, for weeks, and especially for this weekend waiting for THE Call for his son, Jeremiah Trotter, Jr. It finally came on Saturday afternoon with both of them in a truck on the campus of West Virginia University, where another Trotter, Josiah, had just finished his team's spring game.
Junior's phone rang. He jumped on the phone. Dad fidgeted. A lot.
"Man, the emotions. Unbelievable. Extremely happy. Extremely relieved. We finally got that phone call," Trotter said shortly after the pick was made, smiling ear to ear. "Only thing was, I didn't know who he was talking to for a minute so, when he told me, I mean, it's unbelievable. To get that phone call from my Philadelphia Eagles, unbelievable.
"Jeremiah grew up a huge Eagles fan, obviously, and to get that call from Mr. Lurie (Chairman and CEO Jeffrey Lurie) and Howie (Executive Vice President/General Manager Howie Roseman), it's truly a blessing."
Dad, of course, is a legend for the Eagles and Eagles fans. A third-round draft pick in 1998 – the 72nd overall selection after his career at Stephen F. Austin – Jeremiah Trotter went on to have a terrific career including seven seasons in Philadelphia. He was the "Axe Man," a physical, dominating linebacker who made four Pro Bowls and was part of the Super Bowl XXXIX team in the 2004 season.
Jeremiah Trotter was inducted into the Philadelphia Eagles Hall of Fame in 2016.
Now, he's just another NFL father.
"That's how I'm going to handle it. I'm just any other dad," he said. "Jeremiah has put in all the work. We've been waiting a long time this week and, hey, sometimes the draft doesn't go the way you want it to go. All we wanted was an opportunity. You can't control where you go and when you go, but you can control when you step on that football field between those white lines.
"He's worked his whole life. He's made a lot of sacrifices. He has his chance and now it's all about hard work and learning the game and how to help the Philadelphia Eagles win games."
It has been a tough last couple of years for the Trotter family, who lost wife/mom Tammi in February of 2023 to cancer. Jeremiah Trotter Jr. – who grew up in South Jersey and played his high school football at St. Joseph's Prep in Philadelphia – was able to have an outstanding season for the Clemson Tigers, able to keep his focus, and dedicate his play to his mother.
He was named second-team All-American and first-team All-ACC in 2023 after compiling 88 tackles (15 for loss), 5.5 sacks and two interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown.
"I had a moment for myself thinking about all of that, thinking about Jeremiah and all the hard work he put in," Jeremiah Trotter said of his immediate thoughts after he found out the Eagles were on the phone call in the fifth round on Saturday. "I thought about doing all of those interviews in my days on the team, holding Jeremiah in my arms. I'm super proud of what Jeremiah and what he's accomplished.
"I didn't jump on the phone call. It was his moment. He got off the phone and said, 'I'm staying home,' and I just broke down, man. It was a very emotional moment."
"Hey, and you know what? He don't have to pay no rent!"
What's next? The football and only football.
"It takes hard work and Jeremiah knows that. He loves the game, has great passion for it, and he's going to embrace it," Trotter said. "I'm so relieved and now we can just get back to playing the game. I went through it as a player and now as a father. It's the same – so much emotion and every kind of emotion.
"We're extremely grateful, happy, proud. It was a stressful process, but we enjoyed it. Now, go put that work in. He knows what type of player he is. Keep your head down. He doesn't need to say anything. Just go be the player you know you can be. Let your actions speak for itself.
"This is a great, great moment and now Jeremiah is a Philadelphia Eagle. I've taught him to enjoy this every step of the way, because this time flies. I'm going to do the same thing."
