He grew up.
Having admitted late last year — as he finished the season on injured reserve again — that he needed to do just that and be more of a professional, the Green Bay Packers third-year cornerback took a new approach with his time off this time.
Instead of jet-setting around the world with his buddies at a moment’s notice, he hunkered down in his native Bay Area in California, focused on workouts instead of fun and set his mind to becoming the player the Packers expected him to be when they took him at the top of the second round (No. 33 overall) in the 2017 NFL Draft.
“Maturity,” said the 24-year-old King, who isn’t married, doesn’t have children and is in the third year of a four-year, $7.08 million contract. “When you come into the league, you have a childish mindset. You’re coming from college, where everything is so structured. You do this, this, this, basically 50 weeks out of the year. You’ve got no money.
“Then you come to the NFL, you’re a high draft pick, you give a guy X amount of money, you give a guy months off, and it’s easy to get lost in the sauce on things. Because there’s nobody telling you what to do. But then, you’ve got to figure it out. And it comes with time, with trial and error. You need to rest. You need to enjoy yourself. You need to have fun. You need to unplug. Those are things you absolutely should be doing.
“But how much of that do you do? You have to have that balance — and growth. You have to learn what works for you.”
What worked for King was more structure, less silliness. He didn’t adopt a monastic approach to the offseason, but he made sure he stayed home for most of his time off and cut back on one thing he loves: Traveling.
“I like being in a routine — getting up at the same time every day, doing this, doing that, and then have my time. Rather than flying here, flying there, trying to get your workout in. You’re all over the place,” King said. “Your sleep schedule might be off, you don’t eat at the same time. It’s not like the work isn’t there, it’s just different. I just wanted to get my mind, my body in a routine so I could get those gains, that growth.
“Think about it: Having money, and not having a family, you can go anywhere, whenever. Right? And when you have free time, it’s no big deal. Your friends are like, ‘Hey, let’s go to … Vegas!’ And you’re like, ‘All right. Let’s go.’ But now, it’s, ‘Nah, man, I’ve got this workout scheduled. Maybe another time.’ It’s OK to do that, but not all the time.”
And for King, there was no time like the present — and early returns on his more mature approach have been positive so far in camp. Playing alongside some big-time trash-talkers in Jaire Alexander, Tony Brown and others at the cornerback position, King’s more measured approach has gotten the attention of quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who was surprised to learn Thursday that King is only entering his third season.
“Kevin’s a little older. (He’s) been around a little bit; I know he’s missed some time. Is it only his third year? Oh, wow. He seems a lot older,” Rodgers said.