TAMPA, Fla. — In football, there is always a game plan. 

But when your playing days are over, a new blueprint must be drawn. It’s something former Tampa Bay Buccaneer Garrett Gilkey learned first-hand.

When a knee injury abruptly ended his NFL career, a new journey began. 

“Characteristics that shaped me into the previous career that I had in the NFL, and I just identified that it was high-end custom homes and development and really beautiful construction that I found a deep passion with,” he said.

Eight years ago, he founded his own home design and build company, recently rebranded as GILK.

In 2023, Bucs center Ryan Jensen came on board as manager and co-owner. Jensen retired from the NFL on February 2 after a decade spent in the league. 

 “It’s a scary, very vulnerable place for many professional athletes,” Jensen said. “And luckily, being friends with Garrett, who has already gone through that transition and fought those battles, has been a big help and a big mentor.”

The two share a mutual respect through both their on-the-field accomplishments and their off-the-field challenges. The partnership has been a natural fit.

“We’re both crazy, high performance maniacs, high performance, high performance, high performance, attention to detail, attention to detail. So, effectively, what we’ve done is, we’ve taken the interests we have outside of playing, and identified the fundamental characteristics of what made us so great in our careers. And then retooled that in this world,” Gilkey said.

Gilkey shared a video of a completed recent project. Turns out, playing in the NFL and building luxury homes actually have a few things in common.

“You build up to the week to game day, going through all these different processes, through meetings and figuring out your game plan, and it’s very similar to me from a design-build firm. You start from the ground floor and start creating this plan of execution.” Jensen said.

Bringing an attention to detail and work ethic from the football field into an equally competitive real estate landscape. 

Their motto is simple: “Building dreams, transforming lives.”

It applies to their clients and those who work within their company, mentoring and hiring many who are going through difficult transitions.

“Having a career abruptly end in the NFL, or being in recovery from being incarcerated, having challenges with addiction, are all spectrums of trauma that require leadership and shepherding through those journeys,” Gilkey said.

Jahdell Morales met Garrett eight years ago after serving 25 years in prison.

“Right now, I am the vice president of all the job site services. I’m also the warehouse manager. This is the warehouse right now that you see. It’s a growing experience. With him, I was able to relearn myself again of who I really am as a man. And became the man I am today, so it was a very humbling experience,” he said.

He learned workplace skills, including using a computer for the first time. But he also gained a sense of community. 

“I was 16 years old when I got a life sentence, so I’m not supposed to be here. According to society, I’m supposed to die in prison,” Morales said. “But God gave me a second chance, and I took advantage of it.”

For Gilkey and Jensen, transformation from the inside out is the true foundation of GILK.

“I was always told that I was not good enough, I wasn’t trusted with a lot of things because they said I couldn’t be trusted and then to actually being welcomed, to be one of the family and it’s just…you can’t put it into words. Because every morning that I get up, I’m still thankful,” Morales said.

“I’ve gone through my own transition, I’ve been super fortunate to have amazing people in my life that have helped me be empowered and have helped me work through my background and the different challenges I’ve had,” Gilkey said. “I personally believe that we’re all deserving of second, third, fourth, fifth challenges in life.”

In football, second chances are rare, but at GILK, it’s the new normal.