Catching Up With: Seattle Seahawks Tight End Pharaoh Brown!

After bouncing from team to team over the last few years, NFL tight end Pharaoh Brown has signed with the Seattle Seahawks franchise. He signed a one-year contract and has headed back up to the Northwest to get a fresh start after a fantastic year in Foxborough with the New England Patriots.

The Lyndhurst, Ohio, native has been exposed to a variety of playbooks with similar principles and unique terminology due to his previous experiences playing several roles as a fullback, inline blocker, and even a slot receiver with almost 6 different teams. He has played under several prominent offensive coordinators since his debut season with the Cleveland Browns, including Jon Gruden, Kevin Stefanski, and, most recently, Bill O'Brien on Bill Belichick's staff in Foxborough.

After playing in numerous cities, Brown explained to us what drew him to Seattle: “I always had a thing for the Northwest. I mean, going to Oregon and just being in the Northwest is a different energy and place. But then, when you start looking at the organization, the winning culture that they have, they’ve always been in those talks. The team, specifically — I mean, great quarterback. The roster is just kinda stacked.”

Naturally, he hopes to win a Super Bowl with the Seahawks: “It’s just that feeling that you’re always kind of chasing. When you’re at the pinnacle, it’s that feeling — Being on a team now where it’s all clicking, and I understand the game more, and now I’m in an environment where they also understand the game more. Now I’m with an older quarterback that kind of sees the game how I’m seeing the game. Building trust with him. That’s easier, with that experience.”

Pharaoh notes that his teammates are especially important to him in all aspects of the game, whether it's on or off the field. “It’s a competitive environment. Just being in those workouts, in those meetings... Having some young guys there that you’re trying to help learn because, as you teach, you’re learning more, right? The young guys push you further. The older guys are learning. It’s a perfect environment with a bunch of alpha males just trying to find the edge and just competing everyday. That’s the best thing about it.”

After playing college football at The University of Oregon, Brown played for the Oakland Raiders, Cleveland Browns, Houston Texans, and Indianapolis Colts, as well as for the New England Patriots for a short time. He reflected on what he learned from his past teams: “When you go into these places, you’re growing as a player, taking things that can help you be a better player; you know how to help the team win, and the culture, right? I was in year seven last year, and I was honored enough to have my locker next to Matthew Slater, who just retired, and he played 18 years! I mean, he’s like a savant or something. To build that sustainable, winning culture. So, every time I’m at a place, I’m always looking to see what other guys are doing or how they’re taking care of their bodies, watching film. It’s the little things, it’s the little things that get you the edge now.”

Some of his hobbies include fishing, snowboarding, hiking, and horseback-riding, as well as a strong interest in fashion! “It started with shoes. When I was younger, I just wanted all the shoes. We used to get all the custom, back in the day — St. Vincent’s and St. Mary’s would have custom King James shoes. I’ve always felt like fashion was a way to represent and express yourself. I feel like now fashion has taken it... It’s just so brand-oriented now. And my mom used to always tell me, ‘The clothes don’t make you, you make the clothes.’ I like to support more local people. My thing now is, I want to inspire people that are feeling like, ‘Oh I can’t look good.’ Your confidence makes the clothes, so I want to push that message in fashion.”

Horseback-riding helps him get out of his head and relieve stress. “I meditate a lot. Yoga. The horses help because you’ve gotta be in the moment. Horses are the only animal we encounter and can touch that can be dangerous. This is a big, gigantic, strong animal. And we’re on its back. We’re at its mercy. So, when you get on the horse, the energy... they can feel a fly on their butt, they’re so intuitive. You’ve got to stay centered. You’ve got to be in that moment. A lot of times, when our mind is everywhere, it’s because we’re in space. In the sense of, we get stressed out because all this stuff is going on and we’re trying to figure it out and worrying about this… but then it's like, boom! I’m gonna put you on this horse and you’ve gotta be here. Because if you’re not here, it’s gonna get ugly.”

Brown looks at happiness as a choice, not necessarily as an emotion. While being under immense pressure as a professional athlete, it’s easy to fall into the trap of pushing yourself to the limit and constantly feeling exhausted. “You’ve gotta choose to be happy. With the rain, it’s like a circle of life for me, so I used to always like to get into a car and just drive in the rain, because it’s kind of peaceful. It helps you… when it’s raining or something… this is a good thing. I think the long term is choosing happiness. I feel when I stop having fun, that's the time for me, right? We only get one life. We only get one chance.”

You can see Pharaoh Brown play for the Seattle Seahawks starting this September in the regular season!