Pilates and Cali vibes: Jaylinn Hawkins hoping to get Ravens safeties to next level

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Even as his own offense sliced through the Ravens’ secondary in a fourth-quarter, game-winning drive, New England Patriots safety Jaylinn Hawkins stood on the sideline impressed by his opponent.

“Like, this defense is nice,” Hawkins recalled thinking. “From the D-line, from the front seven to the back end, I’m like, ‘Man, they got boys all over.’”

From M&T Bank Stadium’s seats, Jayda, his wife, feared the game could turn at any moment.

The comeback never came — Lamar Jackson had left the game with an injury — and Baltimore lost, 28-24, in December. While the Ravens went on to miss the playoffs and embark on their first coaching search in 18 years, the Patriots ran from that win all the way to the Super Bowl, where they fell to former Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald’s Seattle Seahawks in a defensive showdown.

Despite the success of the Patriots and the upheaval in Baltimore, when Hawkins hit free agency, he thought of the Ravens as a team he’d want to join. A true Californian, Jayda said, her husband is big on energy and vibes. And, as a veteran coming off a Super Bowl run, Hawkins wanted to go somewhere he could win. The Ravens, despite their letdown of a season and new coaching staff, checked all the boxes.

On March 12, the Ravens announced they were signing Hawkins to a two-year, $10 million deal. He slotted in immediately alongside second-year starting safety Malaki Starks, which has allowed Pro Bowler Kyle Hamilton to be used all over the field — the role he’s most excelled in through his career.

Since arriving in Baltimore, Hawkins has impressed his new teammates with his knowledge and communication skills. He’s been noticeable on the sidelines for his dancing and on the field for his energy and competitiveness.

As he helps kick off Jesse Minter’s head coaching tenure in Baltimore, Hawkins hopes to bring some of the victory vibes to the city — and steadiness to a secondary that has struggled at the start of recent seasons.

“I’m the guy who’s going to be playing for y’all, who’s going to be out there trying to win for y’all,” Hawkins said. “The city is important, man, and it’s nothing like winning when the city is turned up. Like, that is an amazing thing, and when they’re working hand in hand, there ain’t nothing more powerful.”

‘Everyone wanted to be around him’

Jayda first noticed Jaylinn amid the weight machines in the University of California gym.

As a beach volleyball player, her workouts would overlap with the football players’ at times, and Jaylinn’s energy was impossible to miss.

“Everyone knew him,” Jayda said. “He was really just always laughing. Everyone wanted to be around him.”

They were just friends through college, although they started to get to know each other better as Jaylinn attended meetings of the Black student-athlete committee — Jayda was on the board.

Although she liked both playing and watching sports, Jayda wasn’t a die-hard football fan. When she attended games, she couldn’t miss Jaylinn’s talent.

“Every single time I would go to a football game, Jaylinn got an interception,” Jayda said. “And they were always like crazy interceptions.”

After college, Jaylinn got drafted by the Atlanta Falcons while Jayda moved to Los Angeles to work in consulting. They reconnected during one of her trips to Atlanta and started dating. She joined him in Atlanta two years after graduation.

While Jaylinn was transitioning to the next step of his athletic career, Jayda was transitioning out of athletics. Graduation meant the end of her time as a volleyball player and life as an elite athlete.

“It’s so tough, like, I feel like your relationship with working out just completely changes,” Jayda said. “And then being with someone who’s still so heavily in it is a whole other thing, because you see how much they’re putting into it, but you don’t have anything that you’re necessarily working for from a performance standpoint. You’re just working out for health and wellness.”

As she redefined the role of exercise in her life, Jayda discovered Pilates. Jaylinn gave it a try, too.

Soon enough, they were hooked. Jayda became a certified instructor in an attempt to learn more. Jaylinn quickly saw the impact on his game.

“Durability, movement and just the way my core was connected to everything whenever I’m twisting, turning and getting out of a break, I just felt more explosive and more stable,” Jaylinn said.

Meanwhile, Jayda was starting to learn more about Jaylinn’s main form of exercise: football. The two do almost everything together, and that includes watching film. Now she finds herself picking up on the subtleties of the defense.

“Jaylinn likes showing me everything when he comes home from practice,” Jayda said. “He’ll show me plays from practice where he feels like he messed up, where he feels like he did good.”

Finding his way

In Boston, Jayda watched as Jaylinn found his joy in the game again.

A happy, easygoing person, Jaylinn had struggled dealing with the politics and business side of the NFL. He started 16 games in his third year but none for the Falcons the next season and was waived. The Chargers claimed him, but he started only three games.

He landed with the struggling Patriots in free agency, and the coach, Jerod Mayo, was fired.

But one season later, with Mike Vrabel taking over, everything changed and Jaylinn finally got to play in the playoffs.

He started every game he played and had the best season of his career. He even added a Super Bowl interception to his highlight reel.

When he hit free agency, he immediately thought of the Ravens.

Jaylinn called around about Minter and liked what he heard — and what he saw from the film.

“Just the way he just places different players to play to their strengths,” Jaylinn said. “He’s very unique and very dope, and it’s a good team-coordinated defensive structure. You hardly see anybody out of position, you hardly see any leaks or anything in coverages, so that’s very unique to me.”

Baltimore seemed like a place they could be happy, and it seemed like a place they could win — the best of both worlds.

It’s early days, and Jaylinn acknowledged he has a lot of work ahead of him. But last season’s Super Bowl loss still stings.

“He’s hungrier now than ever to get back to the Super Bowl,” Jayda said.

Hawkins did not play in preseason games, so it remains something of a mystery how he’ll be used. In practice, he’s been aggressive while also limiting big plays. He’s also bested tight end Mark Andrews in memorable one-on-one battles.

“Jaylinn Hawkins comes in, and he is barking out calls like he has been here the whole time that I have been here,” Hamilton said. “It is really helpful, and I think that kind of pushes me and pushes people who have been here to kind of keep a standard up.”