Jared Goff’s story could be the makings of a Hollywood movie. After playing for the University of California, Berkeley, the quarterback was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams with the first overall pick in the 2016 NFL draft. In just his third season on the team, Goff and the Rams advanced to Super Bowl LIII, facing off against—and ultimately losing to—the New England Patriots. However, over the course of the next two years, the California native struggled to perform on the field. And in 2021, the Rams traded him to the Detroit Lions in exchange for Matthew Stafford, the team’s longtime franchise quarterback. Both the midwestern team and Goff were looking for a redemption story: The Lions hadn’t won a playoff game since 1992. Yet that changed in the 2023 season, when in an ironic twist, the Detroit team faced off against the Rams in a wild-card playoff game—and won. This year, Goff and the Lions cemented their status as a top-tier team, and, as a result, interest in the quarterback’s personal life has increased.
In 2019, while in Los Angeles, Goff connected with his now-wife, Christen Harper, on Raya, an invite-only dating app. Over the course of their five-year relationship, the two have shared snippets of their life on social media. And in 2021, when Goff made the move from California to Michigan, the model and actress relocated alongside him. Just a year after they changed their residency status, the duo announced their engagement. They tied the knot earlier this past summer, hosting a wedding in Ojai, California. Here, we break down every key moment in their relationship.
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The model and quarterback officially debuted their relationship on the red carpet for the 2019 ESPY Awards. Later that evening, Goff shared the stage with Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes, as the two accepted the ESPY for best game.
Just a few months after their red carpet appearance, Harper posted a photo of the pair in Malibu for Goff’s 25th birthday—and poked fun at the duo’s one-year age gap in the caption: “Happy 25th birthday to the greatest guy I know, so lucky to call you mine!! ️ @jaredgoff #cougar”
For the quarterback’s 26th birthday the following year, the model-actress shared a peek into their past year together, including a photo of the pair horseback riding. “Happy birthday to my best friend, the person that makes me laugh the most and always inspires me to be the best version of myself,” she wrote in the caption. “I love you so much @jaredgoff 🤍”
Taking advantage of Goff’s offseason, the pair headed down to Cabo to spend a few days in the sun. Harper shared a few snaps from the vacation on her Instagram, including a video of the pair driving around in a golf cart.
While Goff was officially traded to the Lions in March 2021, the pair didn’t move to Michigan until the start of the NFL season. Harper shared a series of photos and videos of their time in the midwestern state on Instagram, captioning the post “life lately 🤍 🦆.“ The couple appeared to have embraced their new state, with the quarterback sporting a Detroit Tigers baseball cap in the first photo. However, the relocation was a big change for them, particularly when it came to Harper’s career. “We’ve always been in California, so there was an excitement to a fresh start, but at the same time, my whole career has been in L.A. and I did not know what it was going to look like moving away from that,” she told the New York Post.
The duo never failed to support each other over the years in their professional endeavors. While Harper was on set to shoot her Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Rookie of the Year campaign, Goff faced off against the Minnesota Vikings—and led the Lions to their first win of the 2021 season. When the model found out the results of the game, the camera captured her excited reaction. “You guys… this is their first win,” she said in the video. Luckily, a crew member was able to show the final minutes of the match-up to her, including her then-boyfriend’s game-winning touchdown.
While on vacation in Cabo, Goff proposed to Harper. The day after the engagement, the quarterback surprised his new fiancée by flying all of her friends in to celebrate. “Oh my gosh, it was the best weekend ever,” she told Sports Illustrated Swimsuitduring Miami Swim Week 2022. “Well, it was a week but it was amazing. We were down in Mexico, in Cabo, and we had this romantic getaway and he proposed to me on the beach with hundreds of roses and then a beautiful dinner after.” She also offered more details on the couple’s initial meeting: “I was truly not looking for anything at the time. I had just gotten out of a long relationship and I was trying to stay single for a year. Then I met him and the rest is history, baby.”
In a full circle moment, Goff posted an Instagram for Harper’s 30th birthday that played into the same age-gap joke the model had used for his special day years prior: “Happy 30th to my best friend…love you @christenharper ️️️ #cougar”
Returning to the state where they first met, Harper and Goff tied the knot on June 22, 2024, in Ojai, California. Both the bride and groom opted for at least one outfit change over the course of the nuptials: The model donned a satin strapless gown for the ceremony and a sparkly mini dress for the late-night celebration—while the football player started the day in a black tuxedo before swapping in a white jacket for the subsequent festivities.
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