WATFORD, United Kingdom – He's where he wants to be, where he belongs.
That's how Andrew Wingard sees the Jaguars, and the seventh-year veteran hardly could value his place in the organization – and his relationship with the team's city and its fans – more. That relationship helps shape his goals and focus.
"I want to win with this team so bad," he said.
Wingard, a starting safety and a key veteran leader on an improving Jaguars team, joined senior writer John Oehser for this 2025 Week 7 O-Zone Podcast. He discussed – among a wide range of topics – his relationship with Jaguars fans.
Whereas Wingard early in his career at times was a target of fan criticism, he now ranks as one of the team's most popular players.
"Our assistant GM came up to me the other day and said, 'Hey, when I was sitting in the stands the other day, I saw a ton of No. 42 jerseys,'" Wingard said. "When he said that, I was like, 'Man, God has been so good to me.'
"It's super cool to think about where I came from. It was pretty cool."
Wingard, playing for his fourth head coach in seven seasons, also discussed what makes Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Rams at Wembley Stadium in London significant. The Jaguars, after a three-game winning streak, lost to the Seattle Seahawks last Sunday – making this week perhaps the most adversity they have faced this season.
"It's our turn to come off a loss and prove we're a great team," Wingard said. "The best teams, you don't lose two in a row. You bounce back quick. The best teams in this league are the most resilient ones."
Wingard, too, discussed the impact of the Jaguars' new decision-makers – Head Coach Liam Coen, General Manager James Gladstone and Executive Vice President of Football Operations Tony Boselli – on an organization that went 4-13 last season.
"There has been a lot of stuff where you go, 'Hmm, these guys are assertive and these guys are aggressive,' " Wingard said. "Those combinations have fed down to us as players."
And make no mistake: After some difficult times in his first six seasons, Wingard said the chance to be part of a team playing as the Jaguars are playing is one he savors.
"In the National Football League, an undrafted free agent, and here I am with the same team for seven years," Wingard said. "It's like, 'Wow.' It's crazy. It's hard to think I was able to do that. I've come to love Jacksonville and I'm now to the point where I'm like, 'Dang, I can't see myself anywhere else.'
"I want to stay here as long as I can and I love that I'm getting this opportunity. I want to create a culture and be around here. I'm just taking it day by day."
To listen to the entire O-Zone Podcast with Wingard, tune-in below. For more interviews on the O-Zone Podcast, click HERE.
