The Untold Truth Of Jared Goff
After a brilliant junior year for the Cal Bears, quarterback Jared Goff declared for the 2016 NFL Draft. Widely considered one of the top prospects, the Los Angeles Rams fell in love with Goff, trading up 14 spots and giving up six draft picks in a blockbuster deal with the Tennessee Titans to snag its signal-caller of the future. Three years later, Goff is the "NFL's first millennial starting quarterback in a Super Bowl," according to Newsday.
"What I love most about Jared is he doesn't let the circumstances of a game — good or bad — affect the way that he competes as the game progresses," Rams coach Sean McVay told NBC Sports. "And I think that fearless nature, not being afraid to fail and always attacking success, is something that certainly helps me as a coach and certainly resonates and rubs off on our offense."
But the road to NFL stardom wasn't easy for Goff, and although he's known for putting up a lot of points, his attempted flirtation with Oscar-winner Halle Berry definitely did not result in a score. Huddle up, guys. Let's talk about the untold truth of Jared Goff.
He was almost labeled a 'bust'
When you're a quarterback selected No. 1 overall in the NFL Draft, you're expected to immediately turn around the fortunes of a team that was bad enough to be picking at the top of the draft. L.A. Rams fans thought they had their savior, but Jared Goff's 2016 rookie year was an unmitigated disaster. Per Bleacher Report, "Goff lost all seven of his starts as a rookie while throwing more interceptions (seven) than touchdowns (five)."
Sports media pounced. ESPN openly questioned the Rams' selection of Goff. NFL Hall of Famer Chris Carter appeared on The Herd and bluntly claimed Goff "can't play," adding that the Rams "messed this pick up." To make matters worse, the two players drafted directly behind Goff — Carson Wentz and Joey Bosa — had incredible rookie campaigns (Wentz was a finalist for Rookie of the Year; Bosa earned the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Year award). The dreaded "bust" label was fast approaching Goff.
A year later, the Rams fired their coach and hired Washington Redskins Offensive Coordinator Sean McVay as the replacement. From that day forward, Goff's career was reborn. The Rams improved from 4-12 to 11-5, while Goff threw for 3,804 yards and 28 touchdowns and led his team to the Super Bowl. To quote one AFC scout, Goff is "a star that a lot of us overlooked."
Jennifer Aniston is his crush; Taylor Swift is 'the coolest'
In an Aug. 3, 2018 interview with ESPN, Jared Goff dished on which female celebrity he'd like to take an Uber Pool with if he could. "Jennifer Aniston. She's an all-timer," he replied. "I'd probably freeze up and just let her talk the whole time." Netflix forked over $100 million to keep the iconic 90s sitcom Friends on its platform, so Goff can talk to the screen and practice if needed. Quarterbacks should study as much film as possible, right?
Speaking of celebs, Goff also claimed Taylor Swift was "the coolest" celebrity he's ever met. "I got hooked up backstage at her Rose Bowl concert," he said. "I was with my sister, mom, and grandma. I'm a big fan." Goff's sister outed him as a "cheesy pop music" lover, and he's not denying it. "Every once in a while, you gotta put on some Katy Perry or Taylor Swift," Goff said. We can't argue with that.
Tom Brady & Gisele are goals
You'd think a young, high-profile athlete living in Los Angeles would like to take advantage of all that the city has to offer, but in an August 2017 Bleacher Report profile of the Rams' quarterback, we learn that Jared Goff isn't looking to pop bottles at the club. Nope, he wants a better return on his investment. "Do you think Tom Brady is with Gisele [Bundchen] if he doesn't win a Super Bowl? No," he explained. "There's nothing that matters if you don't win games. It's just like if you're an actor or actress or a rapper or anything. If you don't produce, people won't care."
Goff's mom also added her two cents: "You don't have to be the King of L.A. in the way one person thinks you're the King of L.A. He'll do it his way."
We're picking up what they're putting down, though we must point out that Tom Brady and Gisele didn't start dating until Brady nabbed his third Super Bowl ring.
Christen Harper might be his Gisele
Jared Goff might have already found his "Gisele" in swimsuit model Christen Harper. The brunette beauty attended the Rams' divisional playoff game against the Dallas Cowboys, but for now, it appears Goff is "hiding her from everyone except some friends," according to Sports Gossip.
Goff's roommate, Patrick, reportedly works in the same building as the On Air with Ryan Seacrest radio show. Seacrest apparently dragged Goth's roomie into the studio and asked him to respond to the dating rumors involving Harper. "I'm not going to answer any personal questions," Patrick said. "I'm not answering any personal questions." Life tip: get you a friend like Patrick.
According to the New York Post, Goff and Harper "follow one another on social media," but have yet to become "Instagram official." Could a Super Bowl ring truly lead to another sort of ring? Who knows, but if Goff really wants his own Gisele, he'll need to find a model who's bottom line is worth twice as much as his.
He bought a 'newlywed' mansion
If Jared Goff and Christen Harper decide to take this thing to the next level, their love shack is warming up on the sidelines. According to The Blast, Goff scooped up a $4 million mansion in an exclusive gated community in Hidden Hills, Calif. Not only is the "5-bedroom, 5-bathroom, 4,200 sq. ft." house located in the same neighborhood as the Kardashian/Jenner clan, it boasts amenities perfect for any young couple. Or any couple. Or somebody who wants to live by themselves. What we're saying is, the mansion is pretty sweet.
"The property features views of the L.A. sunrise and sunsets, pool, den/with stone fireplace, master suite with steam shower and stone fireplace, formal dining and breakfast area with 'stunning kitchen w/travertine floors' and guest house office with garage and private driveway and even room for horses," The Blast reported. And if Goff and Harper are looking for some sort of sign, the home was previously owned by Newlywed Game host Bob Eubanks.
Halle Berry had a question
During a November 2018 game against the Seattle Seahawks, microphones picked up Goff at the line of scrimmage checking into a play called "Halle Berry." When Yahoo Sports! The Rush tweeted the clip, it caught the attention of its Oscar-winning namesake.
"Hold up. @JaredGoff16 @RamsNFL — What is a 'Halle Berry'??" the actress tweeted, along with confused and crying laughing emojis. Goff learned about Berry's tweet in the locker room after the game. "Wait, hold on, are you serious?" he said (per ESPN). "She heard it!" Goff clearly wasn't throwing away this shot. "It's my favorite play ever," the quarterback tweeted to her.
Rams coach Sean McVay refused to disclose why a play was named after the John Wick 3 star, but we can assume it was a compliment. "She's a very attractive woman that players know," McVay said. "And it's related to the play."
He's not the only pro athlete in the family
Jared Goff's dad, Jerry Goff, played for the Expos, Pirates, and Astros during his six seasons in Major League Baseball, spending the majority of his career in Montreal. According to MLB.com, "the elder Goff played 52 of his 90 MLB games with the 1990 Expos" and "threw out 23 percent of attempted base stealers in 75 attempts" as their catcher. According to Fox Sports, Jerry Goff hit a home run and knocked in two RBIs in his last game as a pro in 1996. Talk about ending on a high note!
That competitive gene was clearly passed on to Jerry, who was drafted to be the savior of a football team that had suffered ten straight losing seasons before his arrival. "I think he embraces that. I really do," Goff's father told Bleacher Report. "He hasn't said this, but he wants to prove L.A. made the right decision in giving up a bunch. That's with him every day. He wants to show the fans and the organization, You know what, you invested this much in me, I'm going to give it all back to you guys with a championship."
He has an enzyme deficiency
During the 2016 NFL Draft process, scouts and general managers were in love with Jared Goff's arm talent, but there was talk that at 6'4", 215 lbs, he would be "too thin" and "too frail" to hold up on Sundays. As it turns out, there was a scientific reason for that. According to Fox Sports, Goff suffers from "an enzyme deficiency that didn't allow him to break down proteins." No matter how many steaks and protein shakes Goff pounded, he was unable to pack on weight.
Enter trainer and "fitness guru" Ryan Flaherty. "We had to adjust his diet and implement probiotics and get him on amino acid supplements," Flaherty said in 2016. "He's eating lots of lean chicken, turkey, and fish. Working on his diet was the big unlock for him. We saw big changes in Jared. The biggest thing was seeing advances in his strength." According to Fox Sports, Goff put on a bit of weight, trimmed some body fat, and "set personal records in every lift or strength test he's done."
Okay, so how do we hire Ryan Flaherty? Does anybody want to go in on a Groupon? Hit us up.
He's already made history with the Rams
The L.A. Rams earned a trip to Super Bowl XXXVI by going on the road and beating the high-powered New Orleans Saints in a stunning comeback victory on the road, but not only did the team come away with the NFC Championship trophy. It also made history. According to Rams Wire, Jared Goff became "the youngest quarterback ever to win an NFC championship" at the age of 24. Coach Sean McVay, at age 33, became "the youngest coach in Super Bowl history." The Rams' offense was on fire during the NFC championship game, piling up 378 total yards in the win — good for "the second-most yards ever by the Rams in the NFC championship."
The New Orleans Saints' crowd at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome tried the whole game to keep Goff and company from making sports history, but it didn't work. "It was disoriently [sic] loud, but we fought through it," Goff said in his post-game news conference (via The Advocate). "It wasn't loud enough I guess." Shots fired.
Young gun vs the old gunslinger
Jared Goff's youth and inexperience will be tested in Super Bowl XXXVI, when he faces off against a living NFL legend. Goff, in just his third year in the league, will be vying for the Lombardi Trophy against five-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady of the New England Patriots. Brady has the most Super Bowl wins in NFL history, so this matchup will be youth versus age — literally.
"This @SuperBowl Sunday will be 17 years to the day since these teams met in Super Bowl XXXVI (Patriots def. Rams 20-17)," NFL Research tweeted. "Tom Brady & Jared Goff represent the largest age gap between opposing starting QBs in Super Bowl history — age difference is 17 years, 72 days (on game day)." Fun fact: Goff was in 10th grade when Brady won his first Super Bowl.
However, don't expect Goff to be starstruck on the largest stage of his young career. "I've played these guys before," he told the Boston Globe.