The Many Ways Lions QB Jared Goff Is Nailing His Second Chance in the NFL

They say money doesn't buy you happiness, and much of middle America scoffs at the saying - especially when it's the lead sentence in an article about an NFL quarterback who has hundreds of millions of dollars.

But it is somewhat the truth. Jared Goff has been making insane money since before he joined was shipped off to the Detroit Lions. In September of 2019, Goff signed a four-year extension with the team that drafted him No. 1 overall in the 2016 NFL Draft, the Los Angeles Rams, that was worth $134 million. In 2021, he was traded from LA to Detroit.

The money doesn't go anywhere. It wouldn't surprise you to know that Goff comes from a wealthy family. His father, Jerry, was a former MLB catcher. His mother, Nancy, is a mortgage advisor. He grew up in California, played for the Cal Bears, was the No. 1 pick to the recently relocated LA Rams.

The money was there, sure, but the fulfillment quickly drained when he was cast off two years after falling short in the Super Bowl.

See money doesn't buy happiness - having a job that is fulfilling and pays well does. Or it helps, at least.

Goff was never awful in Los Angeles, he just wasn't elite. Matthew Stafford was, and really, he still is. That's why Stafford won a Super Bowl with the Rams immediately.

Goff watched his old team win a Super Bowl while he had his worst season in his new home in Detroit.

Que the second chances.

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Over the past two seasons, Goff has completed 66% of his passes for just over 9,000 yards with 59 touchdowns to just 19 interceptions. Alongside head coach Dan Campbell, he's helped revitalize a team that has been stuck for over 30 years. Now, Ford Field is passionately chanting his name as thanks for his role in the turnaround.

Of course, the cherry on top was beating Stafford and the Rams in the Wild Card of the 2023 NFL Playoffs.

That means a new contract is coming his way soon. While that contract is likely to be similar to his previous extension, Spotrac estimates a four-year deal worth $150 million, Goff has been an expert with his money.

He's racked up $2 million worth of endorsements with the likes of Hulu, Bose and Pizza Hut. He's also been a sound investor, putting $10 million into Underdog Fantasy, a growing brand in the sports betting and daily fantasy market.

He's also one of the 10 best sports names in the world right now when it comes to real estate, up there with the likes of Nick Saban, Justin Verlander and even Matthew Stafford having made a $10.5 million purchase in Manhattan Beach.

It certainly helps when your better half is well compensated too. Goff's fiance, Christen Harper, is a model and actress. She famously modeled for Sports Illustrated (RIP) Swimsuit Issue in 2022, having an incredible reaction to hearing Goff threw a game-winning touchdown while she was on set.

If you've watched any of the Detroit Lions playoff games, you've likely heard the broadcast crew mention how the 2021 season was very difficult for Goff to take in following the trade. His confidence took a serious hit after having a down season with a pretty bad team.

Make no mistake, this article wasn't to say "look how rich and awesome the life of an NFL quarterback is". We know that. It's one of the hardest jobs in sports and the entry ticket isn't offered to many, to be blunt.

No, it's more about how this guy was cast off for next to no good reason to a place that very well could have destroyed his career. It happened to every other quarterback before him except Stafford and Bobby Layne, after all. But after taking the hits and the struggles, this guy picked himself up in stride with the team.

If Goff wallowed in his career miseries, the Lions would not be where they are right now as a respected threat to winning a Super Bowl in the next few years, if not in a few weeks. But he didn't stop and now he's reaping the benefits in seemingly every direction, and that's quite admirable.