You turned down scholarship offers from such glamorous college programs Oregon, USC, and Notre Dame to stay at home and play for the Washington Huskies. That was quite the bold, show-and-prove move.

I wanted to challenge myself. On top of that, my coach was one of the best in college football to produce defensive backs that have lasted long in the NFL. The University of Washington is where I wanted to be.

What would you say was your signature play as a Washington Huskie that made the NFL look at you and say, “This kid is serious”?

I would say probably my senior year vs. Cal Berkley.

You were cooking that game. Ten tackles, two interceptions…

I would say that was my standout game that a lot of NFL scouts were aware of. I had a lot of plays that displayed different abilities, recognition, intelligence, film studies, and playmaking abilities.

You seem to enjoy knocking people on their ass. You are not just out there ball-hunting for interceptions.

That’s been developed in me since I was a kid. I remember one time as a kid I got hit, and I told myself never again.

Sounds like a supervillain origin story…

[Laughs] And I’ve never been hit like that ever again in my life. I would talk to my dad when I was younger and he would always tell me, “You put your hands on someone you let them know you really put your hands on them.”

You have said in interviews that nothing has taught you more about discipline than dance. What drew you to ballet?

Growing up my mom was a gymnast and she danced as well. That was one of the things she wanted me to do. My mom and my dad put me in everything… all the sports.

Did you dig ballet?

Honestly, I enjoyed it. It was cool. I was one of the best, too. There weren’t a lot of male dancers, and to be Black doing it too around that time. I got to travel to different cities and win money and scholarships. But it definitely was a grind. I got burned out.

I don’t think people talk about competitive dance in the same vein as sports enough.   

They are the same. The amount of discipline, hard work and tenacity you have to have for dance for me ended up translating to football.

Did you grow up with the type of mom that would call you on your bullshit?

My mom was definitely strict on me [laughs]. I would say strict, disciplined, but loving. My parents wanted me to grow up the right way, to be the right kind of kid, and the right kind of man.

The Kyler Gordon Spiderman Flip

You speak a lot about discipline, but you also like to have fun. Where on earth did you learn how to do that Spider-Man flip? 

I’ve been doing the Spider-Man [flip] since college. It was always for fun, but it was my coach who started calling me Spidey. I threw on the Spider-Man mask. Once I got to the league it kind of stuck.

What’s your favorite Spider-Man movie? I’ll take any pick except the Andrew Garfield films.

Ha! It’s got to be the original Spider-Man movie series with Toby Maguire. I would probably choose Spider-Man 2 or 3 when he gets the black suit and [Eddie Brock] becomes Venom. I liked it when Peter Parker started acting like a badass.

Finish this line for me: No one knows that Kyler Gordon is a blank… 

I would say a fat ass [laughs].

Okay, explain away.  

I’m a guy that likes to consume a plentiful amount of premium food. I consider myself a connoisseur. I’m just trying to overload and melt my taste buds everyday.

Were you always a glutinous foodie?

In college all my teammates used to call me a fat ass [laughs]. My coaches’ wife would make cupcakes before the game.

Oh, I know she hated to see you coming…

[Laughs]. I would ask her to make cupcakes during training camp, too. One time, I came in overweight. I had to be like 210 lbs. and I usually play around 195. I had a week to lose 10 lbs. But within four days I lost 10 lbs. drinking a lot of water and using the sauna.

So now that you have established that you are walking Ozempic, what’s your go-to music to get you hyped before a game?

My go-to is Yeat and Jace. I look for motivational or just hype songs. They fit those two categories.

Do you have a go-to artist you grew up listening to?  

That would definitely have to be Michael Jackson.

Now I’m envisioning you as a kid busting out MJ moves.

At one of my dance competitions, I performed Michael Jackson’s “Bad.” I had the curls [going down my face], the black jacket with all the zippers. And my sister did “Beat It.” Michael was my guy.

What would be a successful season for the Chicago Bears?

Definitely making [it] to the playoffs. That’s what we really want and I know that’s what I really want… to reach the post season. We have a lot ahead of us to get to that point, a lot of work. In my first season we had 3-4 wins. Seven wins my next season and no playoffs. I don’t want to have that rep of being a losing team.