JJ Jansen becomes the longest-serving long snapper ever this weekend

The first time JJ Jansen laid eyes on Trey Junkin, he thought he was a cautionary tale. Now, he’s about to cross paths with the long snapper of his youth again, and keep going.

As we sit here today, Jansen and Junkin are tied for 24th on the NFL’s all-time games played list with 281 appearances. There are no other long snappers ahead of them, just 10 kickers, four punters, three quarterbacks, two defensive ends, one wide receiver, an offensive lineman, a cornerback, and a tight end. That’s it. They’ve already played more football than every running back, defensive tackle, linebacker, and safety to ever do this.

So Sunday, when Jansen takes his first snap against the Eagles, he will play his 282nd career game and become the longest-serving long snapper in NFL history — bending over and throwing a football between his legs more often than any person who has ever done this in exchange for money.

In a job where there are no real stats beyond games played — as long as you succeed, you get to stay — that’s the ultimate distinction.

And three decades after a kid in Phoenix watched Junkin in Sun Devil Stadium, Jansen now recognizes what a distinction that is, in ways few others can.

“I always thought it was really funny that the punter and the long snapper would warm up on first down because back then the Cardinals were terrible,” Jansen said. “And so I thought that they were just getting ready for the inevitable.

“I now know, like, we scored 32 points last game and I’m still getting ready on first down for punt. Like, that’s just the process.”

But that’s also the key: falling in love with process. Because without being willing to do the ridiculous amount of rote work it takes to repeat a fine motor skill for more than 20 years (snapping is football accounting, really), JJ Jansen wouldn’t be standing here today, at the top of his unusual and unlikely field.

“I think he never got bored with it,” said his former kicker and mentor John Kasay, whose Panthers record for games played Jansen broke four years ago. “I think people can easily get bored with it, and he never has, and he’s done it so long now. And the way the salaries are in the NFL now, it’s like, you do it as long as you possibly can.

“I mean, he’s all the things that you’re looking for. And he never got bored with what he did. He has always tried to refine what he’s doing, to make it as easy and reproducible as possible when you’re in a pressure situation.”

That’s it, really. Finding your thing, and doing it over and over and over until you’re the best at it. As simple as that.