FOXBORO, Mass. — Troy Niklas won’t soon forget Easter of 2018.
The tight end got a call from his agent Saturday, March 31 saying the New England Patriots were interested in signing him. There was a catch, though. Niklas’ wife, Chloe, was due with their first baby any day.
“I was talking to my wife like, ‘I’d really like to go up there, and it’s a team I’d love to play for,'” Niklas said Thursday. “So, she’s like, ‘OK, just get up there and get back as soon as you can.'”
Niklas got another call from his agent on Easter Sunday that the Patriots wanted him to visit the next day. So, Niklas flew from Arizona to New England on Sunday, arrived around 11 p.m., visited with the team early Monday morning and called his wife as he was headed back to his hotel.
“I called my wife, and I was just like, ‘Hey, you know, you all right? Just want to make sure everything’s good,'” Niklas said. “She’s like, ‘Yeah, we’re headed to the hospital. I think my water broke.’ So, I’m stuck here.”
Niklas couldn’t get an earlier flight out of New England but still was still set to fly back Monday.
“It was the longest flight of my life,” Niklas said. “Wasn’t sure if I was going to make it back or not.”
Niklas got back Monday night, went straight to the hospital and beat the clock. He fortunately was even able to get a nap in before his daughter, Romy, was born Tuesday morning.
“So, crazy turn of events,” Niklas said.
The 6-foot-6, 270-pound tight end signed his one-year, $940,000 contract the same day his daughter was born and sent it back.
He said he instantly knew he wanted to sign with with the Patriots upon arriving at Gillette Stadium.
“Everyone’s very dedicated, very hard working and they put the team first,” Niklas said. “It reminds me a lot of the time I spent at Notre Dame. There’s some similar contrasts with the people that are around here. That’s what I was most excited about my visit. …
“I just really loved the culture and everything about this place. And so, it really wasn’t a question going back. I was just telling my wife before I flew back, ‘Hey, you know, this is the place for me.’ She was like, ‘OK, great, just get back.’ And so, on Tuesday morning, we signed everything and just sent it back. So, it was pretty quick.”
