JAGUAR #95: B.J. GREEN II

Kristopher Fraser
3 days ago
4 min read

Updated: 2 days ago

Inside the Mind of an NFL Rising Star and VALŪS Digital Cover Star for May 2026

Taken from VALŪS Issue 004 Summer 2026 print edition - pre-order your copies today!

Written by Kristopher Fraser

At a towering 6’1” and 270 pounds of muscle, B.J. Green II commands attention both on the football field and whichever room he’s in. As a defensive end for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Green has made it through his first season and is emerging as a talent to watch.

As he prepares for his second season, Green reflects on how he always knew he was going to get to the NFL. “As soon as I gained consciousness, I knew I wanted to play football.”

Green began playing flag football very young, but his father realized he preferred the rigor and intensity of football as it was on television, so he quickly switched him to tackle football. Green sees his father as one of the biggest influences on his sports career to this day. From his childhood until now, Green’s father has never missed one of his games, from kids flag football through his professional career in the NFL now. Green says matter of factly, “My father saw the desire and love I had for the game early on and helped me hone my passion and talent in the right direction, and that’s really how I ended up in the NFL.”

When the global COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, athletic conference schools that would normally visit and recruit guys like Green to come play for their college teams heavily scaled back on high school visits. Green received offers, but his goal was to attend a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I school, and eventually become a top NFL prospect.

“Thankfully, my parents never taught me how to settle,” Green says. “My godfather is Greg Ellis, a former player for the Dallas Cowboys, and he called Robert Rodriguez, the defensive line coach at Arizona State University, who let me join the college team as a walk-on. They didn’t have a scholarship for me my first year, but as a freshman walk-on, I ended up leading my team in sacks, and after my first season, ASU put me on a football scholarship.” After his 2023 college football season ended, Green entered his name into the National Collegiate Athletic Association and was picked up by the University of Colorado, Boulder Buffaloes.

Green then set his sights on the NFL, and although his name wasn’t called in the 2025 NFL Draft, he didn’t let that discourage him. “There was never a point in my life when I didn’t think I would be in the NFL,” he says. “Just because someone doesn’t open the door for you doesn’t mean you can’t kick it down yourself or find another way in.”

With his “NFL or nothing” attitude, Green signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars as an undrafted free agent. After finding his way into playing Division I football and landing with an NFL team outside of the draft, Green has proven he isn’t the type to take no for an answer. Despite overcoming these obstacles, he says the biggest challenge he faced in making it to the NFL was himself.

“My greatest critic is myself,” Green says. “I can end up in my own way because of how hard I am on me. A lot of athletes don’t talk about this but, we need to speak more life into ourselves. We are always telling ourselves there are things we can do better, but we shouldn’t let that self-doubt take over our mental health.”

When it comes to game-day preparation, Green studies tape of the opposing team. Outside of doing his opposition homework, he likes to listen to R&B and jazz to help his mind slow down before he has to get on the field and be fast and at full tackling strength. He also talks to his pastor, and they pray over his goals for the game.

As a young star entering the NFL, Green is part of a generation where tunnel walk outfits are more serious than ever, with players hiring stylists and entire social media accounts dedicated to NFL tunnel looks. Green’s entire approach to fashion changed upon his first trip to America’s fashion capital, New York City.

He came across Ron David Studio’s boutique in New York’s Nolita neighborhood, and the namesake designer and owner was there the day he went in. David quickly began educating Green on fashion, which completely changed his appreciation for it and turned Ron David Studio into one of Green’s favorite brands. It was also that day in New York when he met his now-personal stylist (and the contributing fashion editor for this cover photoshoot), Mylo Jordan, who’s been successfully chauffeuring Green into a new world of fashion and creativity. Next up, Paris Fashion Week.

When Green is not on the football field, he runs a nonprofit organization called B.J.’s Big Heart, where he takes children in hospitals to the movies. He is inspired to work with kids with health issues and disabilities as an older brother to two younger disabled siblings. Green also loves exploring his passion for film and hosts a podcast called Box Office Blitz with former New Orleans Saints NFL player Anfernee Orji, where the pair discuss new and old films as well as movie trivia.

With the upcoming NFL season still a few months away, Green says his goals include getting more sacks and leaving more people knowing his name. He is prepared for a long and steady career ahead of him, but post-NFL, Green hopes to get into the film industry in some capacity, whether in screenwriting or production.

For now, his focus is on the 2026 season. “I’ve been in love with football my whole life,” Green says, “and it’s taken me to places I’d never imagine I’d go.”