FRISCO — Cowboys safety Juanyeh Thomas publicly made a command to his brother, Azareye’h, this week. He posted on X on Tuesday with a simple message directed toward Azareye’h: “Don’t call my phone all week.”
Azareye’h, Juanyeh said, is his rock. He’s his blood brother, literally. And this week, specifically, he’s something new.
In typical younger brother fashion, Azareye’h, a rookie corner for the New York Jets, didn’t oblige his older brother’s request.
“He actually called me yesterday and was talking crazy to me then,” Juanyeh recalled. “But I told him, ‘You’re going to see it, bro. You’re going to see it.’”
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As unimaginable as that might’ve once seemed.
Sunday’s game between the Cowboys and Jets will feature a rarity. Juanyeh, now in his fourth year with the Cowboys, will play in an NFL game against his younger brother. The odds are against a single player making it to the NFL, according to the National Federation of High School Sports, landing at roughly .08%. The odds of two brothers making it? Even more rare.
“This barely happens,” Juanyeh said. “To have the same two sons in the two same households make it to the league. It barely happens.”
And now that it’s happening, Juanyeh — usually a great conversationalist — found himself in a unique position fitting for such a rare and cherished moment.
“Honestly, man, it’s something I can’t really explain,” Juanyeh said. “For real. It’s just a great feeling. A great feeling.”
The fact that it’s happening, Juanyeh said, is a testament to their mother, Stephanie. She’s been an inspiration to their family. They effectively lost their father when he was arrested for attempted felony murder and arson to a dwelling after a fire burned their home in Sept., 2004.
The following years weren’t easy for the single mother and her five children.
“I’m laughing right now at the devil because he thought he was going to win,” Stephanie told The Dallas Morning News in 2023. “I always told him, ‘I’m not going to let you win. I’m not going to let you win. You cannot have my children.’ And I meant that. The odds were against me, and you understand the odds. We had no steady place to stay at the time.
“I looked to God, and yeah, I had a few people that God sent in my direction because he does send people to your path. But I didn’t look to anybody but God. All glory goes to him.”
When Juanyeh joined the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2023, he believed he was breaking a “generational curse” that had followed his family. Not only did he do that, but he also laid a path for his younger brother to follow, too.
Azareye’h spent three seasons at Florida State and was drafted in the third round, 73rd overall, by the New York Jets this offseason. Juanyeh was there for the moment. The next day, after the height of the celebration had subsided, Juanyeh sat with his younger brother and reflected.
“Man, we used to dream about this,” Juanyeh recalled. “We used to talk about this. We used to train for this. And now, it’s just crazy man.”
For now, Juanyeh is trying — and potentially failing — to look at his brother as just another opponent. They both play on defense, but they also both play on special teams. There’s a good chance the two will go against each other on Sunday — just as they’ve done on the basketball court over the years, including as recently as this offseason, and during video game sessions. Call of Duty or team games were popular choices for the two brothers.
But for the rest of the week, in Juanyeh’s mind, they’re just that: competitors. After the game, they can be brothers again.
Juanyeh has already envisioned that moment. His mother will probably cry, just as she did on the phone wih Juanyeh this week when reflecting about the surreal experience upon them this week. He knows he and his brother will swap jerseys. After that’s over, Juanyeh has already planned to give Azareye’h something else. He accidentally let it slip that he plans to wear special cleats in honor of his brother during Sunday’s game. After, he plans to give them to Azareye’h.
He said he couldn’t divulge details about the cleats yet. Like his feelings on the game itself, it’s special, but something he couldn’t really explain.
Twitter/X: @JoeJHoyt
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