We all know that players who embrace the Patriots have to let go of ego and dedicate their lives to the team, the team, the team. Well, recently inked free agent tight end Troy Niklas took this to another level this month, nearly missing the birth of his first child to visit with the team ahead of signing.
Niklas, a former second-round pick out of Notre Dame, spent his first four seasons as a pro with the Arizona Cardinals. He received a phone call from the Patriots at the end of March, setting up a meeting for April 2.
The only issue? His wife was due to give birth to their child on April 5, so he was a bit torn.
Still, the desire to join the Patriots was too strong, and Niklas set up the meeting anyway.
“We could have the baby any day now. So I told my wife, I’d really like to go up there and it’s a team I’d love to play for,’” Niklas said, per Mike Daniels of the Providence Journal. “She’s like, ‘ok. Get up there and get back as soon as you can.’ So Sunday, I get the call from my agent, ‘hey, they want you up on Monday.’ So, I fly out on Sunday, which is Easter, get in and meet with all the coaches, which was just awesome. They’re just on top of everything. You can tell that they’re really specific about everything. Really excited about that.”
As he left his meeting with New England, Niklas called his wife, who informed him her water had broke and she was on her way to the hospital. Needless to say, dear old dad was dealing with some nerves on the flight back to Phoenix.
“It was the longest flight of my life. Not sure if I was going to make it back or not,” Niklas said.
Thankfully it all worked out. Niklas got back home in time to catch some rest after making a mad dash to the hospital, as the baby wasn’t yet ready. Tuesday morning, April 3, one day after his visit, Niklas and his wife Chloe welcomed Romy Niklas, a baby girl, into world.
On that same day, Niklas inked a one-year deal with the Patriots, making it a very significant day, both on a personal and professional level.