That One Time Landry Jones Worked In Local Construction

When Landry Jones decided that his NFL career might be over, he called a local construction company. It was February 2019, six months after his unexpected release from the Pittsburgh Steelers. He had worked out for roughly 20 NFL teams, and nobody wanted to sign the veteran backup quarterback.

So he reached out to John Huffman, the owner of Black Door Renovation, who'd recently drawn up plans to remodel Jones' Fort Worth-area home. "I want to learn more about construction," Jones said. "Are you guys hiring?"

Not exactly, Huffman explained. There weren't any management positions available, but there was one job: The guy who drove the dump truck had recently quit. It was by far the lowest position at Black Door Renovation, a messy, hard-labor gig. Whoever drove the truck had to fill the dump trailer with demolition debris, then haul it to the landfill for minimum wage.

"Heck yes," Jones said. "I'll do it."

From 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, Jones and his co-workers filtered through clients' homes in the Fort Worth suburbs. He'd park the truck in a driveway, then walk through the front door with blue jeans, safety goggles, work gloves and a sledgehammer. He'd smash and rip chunks of drywall. He'd tear out cabinets and countertops. When the dump trailer was full, he'd drive 30 minutes to the stinking landfill, press the hydraulics button and watch the junk tip and tumble onto piles of trash.

One time before a demo, he walked into a house with his sledgehammer and safety goggles, and the owner gave him a strange look.

"Are you ...?" the man asked.

Jones nodded.

"What are you doing here?"

"I don't know," he said with a laugh. Then he tore up the man's bathroom, removed his sink and got rid of his tub.

Jones tells this story from a Fort Worth sports bar eight months after his five-week stint at Black Door. To read the full article, click here.