GL Pod: Khari Blasingame and the art of making yourself indispensable

He was ready to coast into retirement. This is often how it ends for players.

Cut loose by a floundering Chicago Bears team, Khari Blasingame had his second baby due soon and was visiting his wife’s family in South Carolina. Mentally, he was ready to move on. The NFL appeared ready to move on from him.

And then his agent, Blake Baratz, called: “Hey man, you want to go win a ring with Philly?”

Blasingame carved out a niche on the Philadelphia Eagles and experienced Super Bowl glory inside the Superdome.

The last 20 years, we’ve been told the fullback is dying. True, the days of Lorenzo Neal mowing down linebackers are over. But there’s still a way to make a living in pro football playing this position. Blasingame is living proof. He switched from safety to running back in college, latched on as an undrafted free agent with the Minnesota Vikings in 2019, and then spent time with the Tennessee Titans and Chicago Bears before his capstone ‘25 in Philadelphia.

Early on, Blasingame accepted the fact that he’d need to excel on special teams. Not many players do.

Above all, his ability to adapt, evolve and thrive can apply to all listeners in all walks of life. You’ll enjoy this conversation.

Here on the Go Long Pod, we explore countless topics.

• His rise, and how Blasingame naturally gravitated toward the fullback position.

• He originally planned to be a doctor at Vanderbilt. One Calculus class helped change his mind and his football career took off.

• Life in Chicago vs. Life in Philadelphia. They are not the same!

• Are you also a Dad worried about screens dominating the world your kids are growing into? We try to make sense of these digital times.

• The traits that made the 2025 Eagles truly unique.

• Why he believes Jalen Carter will be in the Hall of Fame.

• His future. Blasingame — a finance junkie — would love to help pro athletes learn how to deal with money.

Full video and audio is above.

You can also access the show on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, everywhere you pod.

I’ll be sure to share the written transcript in full later this week.

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