Rod Walker: Keith Kirkwood’s first Saints’ catch in 4 years would’ve made his aunt proud

Keith Kirkwood’s catch on Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks went down on the stat sheet as just a 4-yard reception.

But for Kirkwood, it was more than that.

Much more.

This was his first reception in a New Orleans Saints’ uniform since 2018 when he came into the league as an undrafted rookie.

More meaningful to Kirkwood though is it was also his first NFL reception that Ramona Gonzalez didn’t get a chance to see.

Gonzalez is his aunt, although it’s clear when talking to Kirkwood that she meant so much more to him than that.

“That’s my best friend,” Kirkwood said. “She was my everything.”

Gonzalez died in late March, right around the time Kirkwood wasn’t really sure what was next in his football career.

He keeps a photograph of the two of them in his locker at the Saints’ practice facility. That same photo was in his locker room at the Superdome on Sunday.

“I keep her everywhere I go,” Kirkwood said. “I hear her voice all the time and it just gives me that motivation to keep going.”

And the boost he needed to ever get started.

Back in high school in New Jersey, Kirkwood’s parents didn’t want him to play football.

So Kirkwood had a conversation with his aunt that went like this.

“Look, I want to play this game. I get one shot at this and it’s my senior year. Can you help me?”

Gonzalez ended up signing the paperwork for Kirkwood to get his physical and to play football and he’s been playing it ever since.

“If it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t be standing here,” Kirkwood said.

Kirkwood, who spent the 2018 and 2019 seasons with the Saints, has been back with the team for less than two weeks. He spent the past two seasons with the division rival Carolina Panthers. There, he reunited with Carolina coach Matt Rhule, his college coach at Temple who the Panthers fired this week. Kirkwood caught just four receptions in his two seasons in Carolina, mainly due to the injuries that have plagued him throughout his career. He has played in just 14 games in a career that is now in Year 5. He wasn’t even sure if it would get that far.

“When the season ended last year, I kinda wanted to take some time away from football,” Kirkwood said.

He got into real estate and investment.

Then the Panthers called him back and he went through OTAs and training camp with them before getting released in late August. When he came to check on the house he still owns in New Orleans, he just so happened to get a call from the Saints wanting to bring him back.

Dennis Allen likes what he’s seen so far in Kirkwood, who brings much needed depth to a receiver room where four of the top players (Michael Thomas, Jarvis Landry, Chris Olave and Deonte Harty) are battling injuries.

“One of his strengths is he’s extremely intelligent and can play a lot of different positions,” Allen said. “That’s beneficial when you have a couple guys that aren’t there.”

Kirkwood described his first game back in the Dome on Sunday as “surreal.”

Fittingly, it came against the Seahawks. Back in 2019, he got hurt in pregame warmups of a game against the Los Angeles Rams and missed the following week against the Seahawks. He never played with the Saints again during his first stint until playing the Seahawks this past Sunday. Next, he will face the Cincinnati Bengals, the team he caught his first NFL pass against as a rookie for the Saints in 2018.

“It’s just crazy how life works,” Kirkwood said. “I kept my faith and I kept my trust in God. He ultimately told me that the door is going to close and another door is going to open. It feels like in the blink of an eye, I was right back here and it doesn’t even feel like I’ve missed a beat. It’s a blessing to be back with this organization and I’m super excited to do whatever I can to help this team win.”

His smile tells just how happy he is.

And that happiness isn’t all about football.

He’s engaged now and plans to get married in 2023.

They have a daughter on the way.

Her middle name will be Ramona, in honor of the aunt Kirkwood had on his mind Sunday after making what to some was just a 4-yard reception, but to him was so much more. He knows she would have been proud at the catch that helped ease some of the pain from that phone call he got back in March when she passed away.

“It was probably the worst feeling I could have ever had,” Kirkwood said. “That’s why I had so many emotions after that game Sunday. I feel like she’s been an angel that’s been with me the whole time to get me to this point. It’s been an unbelievable journey.”