Raiders linebacker Cayson Collins trades FedEx job for NFL

ALAMEDA, Calif. — Cayson Collins can appreciate the surge that courier companies experience leading up to Christmas, all the labor required for a few easy clicks on a computer or cellular device to translate into a package being delivered to someone’s front door.

He knows the process.

He was part of it.

“It’s peak season,” Collins said last week.

When the rookie linebacker joined the Raiders’ practice squad Dec. 19, he switched from one seasonal job to another. Collins and his fiancee are expecting their first child in January. While hoping to realize his NFL dream, he also needed a job. So between gym workouts in Charlotte, North Carolina, he worked for FedEx as a package handler.

That mainly involved loading boxes onto trucks.

“Boxes come down the chute,” Collins said. “Take a box, scan it, put it in the truck. Take a box, scan it, put it in the truck. I did that about eight hours a day. I had to do something. … It’s actually a pretty good workout. I would go work out in the morning and then go to work in the afternoon, so it was like getting two workouts in because you’re lifting some heavy boxes.

“People order some pretty crazy stuff. Trees. A lot of carpets, rugs. A lot of stuff for pets. Clothes. A lot of automotive equipment like jacks, tires. It’s really a lot of stuff.”

With it came perspective.

Collins was appreciative of the job and its $11.20 hourly pay. He appreciated the company’s structure, which he said fosters a fairly quick move into more senior positions. FedEx also was flexible to his football demands.

But he wants a football career.

In late April, Collins signed with the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted rookie out of North Carolina. He spent the full offseason there but was cut Sept. 1 as part of the NFL’s roster reduction from 90 to 53 players. He remained a free agent for almost two months — until the Raiders called and offered a spot on their 10-man practice squad.

At that point, Collins had just completed his FedEx orientation. Hours before his first shift, the Raiders informed him they would be flying him to Oakland that same night.

“I called FedEx and said, ‘I’m not coming in. Good luck,” Collins said.

He signed Oct. 24 but was cut Oct. 29.

In November, he resumed work at FedEx, having to watch the same orientation video and complete the same paperwork as he did the first time. He worked three weeks, Sunday through Friday with base hours of 4 to 10 p.m., before the Raiders called again.

Minimum salary for the practice squad is $7,600 each week.

Collins can earn two weeks of it before the season concludes Sunday at the Kansas City Chiefs. All eligible members of NFL practice squads can be signed to Reserve/Future contracts once a team’s season ends. In essence, this means a player will rejoin the club in April when spring workouts begin.

Collins hopes for that chance.

While appreciative of his former job, he hopes to make a career in the NFL.

“I’m glad this came through,” he said.

Contact reporter Michael Gehlken at mgehlken@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GehlkenNFL on Twitter.