Javon Baker PRESS CONFERENCE 27 APRIL 2024
What do Patriots fans like us want to know about your game?
Javon Baker: Just come to the home stadium and bring your popcorn, as I like to tell you. Grab some popcorn. Wheelchair users come to stand, thanks to me. Grab some popcorn.
What are your initial thoughts about working with Drake Maye?
Javon Baker: Not many people are aware of this, but we used to drill and toss around a lot back when Drake Maye was originally committed to Alabama. I have developed a relationship with Drake Maye. I believe that Drake Maye is the greatest quarterback available in this draft, so when we get back in touch, it will be beneficial.
What do you remember about those throwing sessions with [Drake Maye]?
Javon Baker: He is competitive and tries to get the ball wherever I ask him to place it. That’s what I like in a quarterback, so he would simply be a competitive quarterback. He’s the kind of person who could push me, and I will push him.
What are your thoughts about joining the New England Patriots organization, and what comes to mind when you think of the Patriots?
Javon Baker: To be honest, I know the organization has a winning attitude since I was a part of it at Alabama. Everyone seems to take pleasure in the simple act of winning. I just can’t wait, since there won’t be a better chance or location to visit than this one.
Following his draft selection, did you get in touch with Drake Maye in any way? Has he communicated with you at all?
Javon Baker: He reached out to me immediately after my selection, but I didn’t reach out to him during his draft. We just texted each other, “Let’s go to work” and “Congratulations.” Ja’Lynn Polk and I have been working out together throughout the offseason, so we also have a relationship going on. Thus, the three of us are the only ones in Boston who are reviving the winning mindset that everyone enjoys.
You mentioned that relationship. Do you think that, given the two guys you were mentioning, this is a really fantastic position for you to land?
Javon Baker: As I already stated, this is an excellent chance, and I am eager to don the outfit.
Given your past experiences and your decision to transfer to UCF, how much of a sense of entitlement do you feel you possess? How much do you let past events drive you?
Javon Baker: To be really honest, no matter what, I’ll always have a grudge. Because I’m so motivated, I understand what it’s like to trail behind someone or be at the bottom of the hierarchy. That being said, I will always have resentment.
What would you like the Patriots to prove to you?
Javon Baker: Show them the whole truth. Show them what I’m capable of. Show them that, as a receiver, I am capable of anything. To win, I will stop at nothing—just to show them that. Sincerely, I want to demonstrate to the team that I am a member of the group and a team player.
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Before the draft, you discussed your game with Steve Smith, and you mentioned that you can change the course of play once you get possession of the ball. How can your actions alter the course of the game?
Javon Baker: My way of thinking. I am the receiver. All I have to do is catch the ball. Even if the ball flies out of bounds near the sideline, I will still manage to catch it. That’s it, really, at the end of the day. I simply have a different mindset than any other receiver. I’m willing to work hard and take on any task. That being said, as a receiver, my mentality by itself is capable of anything.
Eliot Wolf said prior to the draft that the club lacked a genuine X [receiver], someone who can line up on the backside and compete in one-on-one coverage. Do you think you can be that person for this offense, since it looked like you had a lot of success there in college?
Javon Baker: Well, I really could be anyone. To be honest, I can be anything Coach [Jerod] Mayo wants me to be. It honestly doesn’t matter to me if I’m X or Y.
What makes you so successful in those one-on-one situations?
Javon Baker: To be honest, my mindset knows that it’s over for him when I get to that corner.
I noticed you were a member of Cam Newton’s 7-on-7 squad. How did you two get along, and has Cam Newton ever told you anything about his time in New England?
Javon Baker: My bond with Cam Newton is indeed similar to that of a big brother. We were simply chatting before the draft, and he told me to just keep working hard and not worry about anything else.
I also spoke with him about Boston, since I had been talking to a lot of people about Cam and praising him a lot throughout the visit. All I was doing was telling them, passing along information, and so on. When we laughed about it, that’s all we were talking about.