Former NFL Player; Founder, CEO of Team X 88 Inc. & Author of "When Opportunity Knocks"

Phoenix, AZ, USA

JJ Birden Biography

Like a fabled long-shot story and underdog tale, JJ Birden was The Small Man in the Big Man’s Game of Football.

After earning a scholarship to the University of Oregon for track and field (plus being the #1 high school wide receiver in Oregon), Birden also earned a walk-on spot with the football team his sophomore year. His trials were only just beginning though, and he was faced with many naysayers, followed by a cycle of injuries, and unimpressive stats.

Birden’s hard work, grit, speed, and resiliency were enough to eventually earn him the invite to the NFL Combine, where he dominated. His performance earned him an NFL draft pick, and he was on his way, or so he thought. Another series of injuries and failed physicals culminated in one of the darkest moments in Birden’s early career; Birden was rejected by 4 NFL teams in 5 days.

He could have walked away from the game and given up hope in spite of what seemed like insurmountable odds, but Birden didn’t even flinch. Instead, he did what he’s always done when faced with adversity—he found a way to win.

Despite a height of only 5’10 and weighing in at 157 lbs (versus the typical 6’2 and 245 lbs of his peers) Birden would go on to play 9 seasons in the NFL, crushing the average player's career of less than 2 years. He is now an engaging and passionate keynote speaker, and a leading authority on helping individuals seize their opportunities in life. As a best-selling author, entrepreneur, speaker, husband and father he now shares lessons from his life that help audiences of all ages, backgrounds, and professions realize the most important thing about success—it is never given, but always earned.

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Speaker profile last updated by AAE Talent Team on 10/10/2025.

JJ Birden Speaking Topics

  • Beat The Coverage

    Every challenge has a crack in its coverage. Success goes to those who prepare, spot the gap, and execute with purpose.

    Today s professionals face relentless pressure, tight competition, rapid change, burnout, layoffs, and uncertainty. Most people respond by working harder, but hustling without a strategy leads to burnout. Without a clear framework, people stall, overthink, or give up when things get tough.

    JJ Birden knows pressure. As one of the lightest players in the NFL at 5’10”, 157 lbs., he overcame the odds to play 9 seasons at the highest level. After football, he built a successful business, raised a family of eight, and continues to train leaders across industries.

    Beat The Coverage comes from JJ’s NFL days as a wide receiver. In every play, his job was to identify the defensive coverage, whether it was man-to-man or zone, and find the hole. That mindset helped him have a much longer career than the NFL average of less than 2 years.

    Today, it means something much bigger. In business and life, we all face Coverage: such as competition, economic pressures, customer behavior, self-doubt, personal setbacks, even internal challenges like complacency due to success.

    Sometimes the hole is in the market. Sometimes it’s in your weaknesses. His message helps leaders and teams recognize the gaps (or holes). And understand the importance of practicing or getting in the reps to master their strengths to help overcome or exploit them and execute with precision.

    Beat The Coverage is not just a sports metaphor; it’s a system for staying one step ahead under pressure and creating wins in any environment. It’s battle-tested in sports, business, and life. Audiences will walk away equipped with a strategic mindset to win in adversity. They’ll learn how to anticipate challenges, lead under pressure, and turn uncertainty into advantage, with repeatable tools they can use immediately in their business and life.

    Key Takeaways:

    Six Strategic Steps to Win in Business and Life

    1. Know the Field - How to assess your environment so you lead proactively, not reactively
    2. Find the Holes – The skill of spotting hidden opportunities in chaos.
    3. Play to Your Strengths / Cover Weak Spots – Maximize your edge while managing risk.
    4. Draw Up the Game Plan – Strategy beats hustle, build a repeatable system that works.
    5. Put in the Reps – Consistency under pressure is what separates amateurs from pros.
    6. Execute & Adjust – Why adaptability, not perfection, is the key to sustained success.

  • Seize Your Opportunities

    A call to action to individuals to recognize and maximize opportunities!

    Businesses have always aimed to get more out of their people, but it is becoming increasingly hard to provide resources, instruction, and encouragement that actually motivate employees to show up and give their best. To truly succeed in today’s extremely competitive business world, organizations need employees who are genuinely motivated to give their best, improve each day, and do whatever it takes to win. Unfortunately, not everyone has this capacity; JJ Birden does, and he can help anyone develop it, too.

    Seize Your Opportunities focuses on the individual and what one must do for success as part of a larger group—no matter the odds, and no matter how much hard work it requires.

    As a former NFL wide receiver, JJ knows what it takes to reach the highest level of performance and have the capacity to maintain it. Many of the success principles he learned as a professional athlete have helped him thrive in the business world as an entrepreneur and professional speaker. In this presentation, JJ shares his winning principles and strategies and teaches audiences how to maximize and seize the opportunities in their lives.

    Success is not going to be given to you. You have to achieve success; and once you have it, you can't stay at that same level. You have to continue to work to fight mediocrity and complacency. JJ will show you how.

    Key Takeaways:

    • Cultivating a winning mindset and unwavering determination
    • Discovering, clarifying, and standing by your Why
    • The role of discipline and self-drive in achieving success
    • Overcoming challenges to reach your breakthrough
    • The dangers of complacency in halting progress
    • How complacency can destroy momentum
    • Sustaining momentum through ongoing personal growth

Read More +

JJ Birden Videos

JJ Birden Sizzle Reel 2025

JJ Birden Sizzle Reel 2025

Former NFL wide receiver JJ Birden knows what it takes to win against the odds.

JJ Birden Extended Speaker Clips

JJ Birden Extended Speaker Clips

Experience the full impact of JJ Birden’s message.

  • How do I book JJ Birden to speak at my event?

    Our experienced booking agents have successfully helped clients around the world secure speakers like JJ Birden for speaking engagements, personal appearances, product endorsements, or corporate entertainment since 2002. Click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page to check availability for JJ Birden, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to discuss your upcoming event. One of our experienced agents will be happy to help you get speaking fee information and check availability for JJ Birden or any other speaker of your choice.
  • What are the speaker fees for JJ Birden

    Speaking fees for JJ Birden, or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. The estimated fees to book JJ Birden are $10,000 - $20,000 for live events and $10,000 - $20,000 for virtual events. For the most current speaking fee to hire JJ Birden, click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak directly with an experienced booking agent.
  • What topics does JJ Birden speak about?

    JJ Birden is a keynote speaker and industry expert whose speaking topics include Athlete, Football, Human Resources, Inspirational, Leadership, Motivational, Overcoming Adversity, Sports, Sports Motivation, Teamwork & Teambuilding
  • Where does JJ Birden travel from?

    JJ Birden generally travels from Phoenix, AZ, USA, but can be booked for private corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. For more details, please contact an AAE Booking agent.
  • Who is JJ Birden’s agent?

    AAE Speakers Bureau has successfully booked keynote speakers like JJ Birden for clients worldwide since 2002. As a full-service speaker booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. Please click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page including the details of your event, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book JJ Birden for your next private or corporate function.
  • What is a full-service speaker booking agency?

    AAE Speakers Bureau is a full-service speaker booking agency, meaning we can completely manage the speaker’s or celebrity’s engagement with your organization from the time of booking your speaker through the event’s completion. We provide all of the services you need to host JJ Birden or any other speaker of your choice, including offer negotiation, contractual assistance, accounting and billing, and event speaker travel and logistics services. When you book a speaker with us, we manage the process of hosting a speaker for you as an extension of your team. Our goal is to give our clients peace of mind and a best-in-class service experience when booking a speaker with us.
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    If you’re looking for the best, unbiased speaker recommendations, paired with a top-notch customer service experience, you’re in the right place. At AAE Speakers Bureau, we exclusively represent the interests of our clients - professional organizations, companies, universities, and associations. We intentionally do not represent the speakers we feature or book. That is so we can present our clients with the broadest and best performing set of speaker options in the market today, and we can make these recommendations without any obligation to promote a specific speaker over another. This is why when our agents suggest a speaker for your event, you can be assured that they are of the highest quality with a history of proven success with our other clients.

JJ Birden is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics such as Beat The Coverage, Seize Your Opportunities and Winning as an Underdog. The estimated speaking fee range to book JJ Birden for your event is $10,000 - $20,000. JJ Birden generally travels from Phoenix, AZ, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Rudy Ruettiger, Rocky Bleier, Jim Davidson, Jim Morris and Amelia Rose Earhart. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling JJ Birden for an upcoming live or virtual event.

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