Everett Golson isn’t blind.
At some point during the three-day rookie camp this weekend, the quarterback, who is on a tryout with the Eagles, will look across the locker room and see the three lockers on a row that say Sam Bradford, Chase Daniel and Carson Wentz.
Golson, of Notre Dame and Florida State fame, knows his chances of making the Eagles aren’t very good. In fact, his chances are microscopic.
But he doesn’t care; he can’t.
“Anything can happen and that’s my mindset,” Golson said in the Eagles’ locker room Friday afternoon. “I know they have a pretty solid quarterback room, but I just want to come out here and showcase my talents as well.”
Golson is one of 26 players with the Eagles on a tryout basis for this weekend’s rookie minicamp. But unlike the 25 others, Golson has reached a top peak of football performance.
It was just a couple years ago when Golson led the Fighting Irish to the national championship game against Alabama, in a game Notre Dame lost 42-14.
At that point, a young Golson was still on top of the college football world. But he tumbled.
Golson was forced to miss the entire 2013 season because of an academic suspension. When he returned to Notre Dame in 2014, he started the year off strong, but was benched toward the end of the season. He transferred to Florida State after graduating from Notre Dame and played immediately for the Seminoles in 2015, but was far from great.
Then, in April, he watched 15 quarterbacks get drafted instead of him and never even got a phone call to sign with a team after the draft was over. He said he watched the draft to cheer on his former Notre Dame and Florida State teammates.
Last week, he was with the Colts on a tryout, which led to nothing.
“It builds you up. It builds you up as a man,” Golson said Friday about not knowing where his career will take him. “Makes you stronger. You really are defined in times like this when you don’t know. It’s easy to fold, really easy to give up, but for me, that’s not even an option.”
Golson said the confidence in himself left him a little surprised and disappointed when he wasn’t drafted in any of the seven rounds a few weeks ago. He was even more disappointed when no teams called to sign him after the draft.
But despite the lack of interest, Golson is still fixated on the idea of becoming a professional quarterback. At 6-foot, 199 pounds, many question the likeliness of Golson’s playing quarterback at the professional level.
Just don’t include Golson among them.
“I believe I can play quarterback,” he said. “No doubt in my mind.”
So far, no team has expressed a desire for Golson to play any other position than quarterback. When asked if he’d be willing, Golson said he’ll answer that question when it comes up.
As for now, he’s with the Eagles on a three-day tryout, just hoping to turn some heads, whether they be in Philadelphia or elsewhere.
“I have the utmost confidence in myself,” he said. “I can’t just harp on the negative. I have to get back up from it. I’m at this point now and I’m definitely looking for a job.”