'Do What I Love To Do'

11/12/2024 01:59 PM

P.J. Walker wanted to know where he'd be in 2025 which went into his decision of committing to the Stampeders early into Calgary's off-season.

The former NFL and XFL quarterback has moved from city to city over the course of his career, spending time with the Indianapolis Colts (2017-19), Houston Roughnecks (2020), Carolina Panthers (2020-22), Chicago Bears (2023), Cleveland Browns (2023) and Seattle Seahawks (2024).

After joining the Red and White's practice roster in October, the former Temple star got a better image of what his future could look like should he decide to test the northern waters and ultimately felt like the Stampeders gave him the best shot at playing the game he loves.

"(The decision to sign) was having an idea of what's next to come for me personally and having the off-season to know what to look forward to and to see what the best opportunity was for me, and I feel like Calgary was the best one," he explained.

The journey to Canada began on Oct. 8, when the 29-year-old quarterback and his family took a three-week test run of the organization to help get a feel for the city and the team.

"My whole mindset into taking the trip was to see if I'd enjoy it and see if it was something I'd be wanting to do," he said. "It was great. I thought the experience was awesome, being able to be around the program, to meet Dave (Dickenson) and a lot of the other guys for me was just a fun experience.

"I would also say the city is awesome. It's one of the better cities I've seen. It reminded me of Colorado."

During his three-week stay Walker was able to soak observe the nuances of the CFL game from the sidelines.

"The game is definitely different," he explained. "From my experience from watching, I feel like it's a little bit faster, the running clock starts at 20 seconds, and you have to process things a lot quicker, so tempo will be the big thing."

With the game's challenges comes its opportunities.

Renowned for being a passing league, Walker is looking forward to bringing his skillset north of the border and help make the players around him better.

"Just go out there and compete at a high level and bring consistency and the same energy every day for my team, and for me to go out there and spread the ball around the football field and do what I love to do.

"And to also have the guys around me play at a high level, because I feel like if those guys are playing at a high level I'll be doing the same thing. So just pushing those guys and bringing guys along, I think it takes a group effort to win, and I think if we can all put the same effort in, we can all go out there and be successful."

Preparation for the 2025 season begins now.

Walker's CFL footballs have arrived at his home in Charlotte and he's hoping to organize a throwing session with some of the receivers in Florida.

After finishing the season with a 5-12-1 record and missing the playoffs for the first time in 20 years, Walker understands the task at hand in doing his part to help get the organization back to its winning ways.

"For me it's always to hold each other accountable," he said. "I think that we can get lost in the sauce at times of what we're doing, and we can take it for granted. Sometimes you can let things slip.

"When you're always trying to fight for success and have that goal to get to the Grey Cup, I think accountability and ownership is going to go a long way in order for us to be successful as a team.

"It's going to take a lot, but I think with the right guys in the locker room it will be (possible)."