When Jared Goff was traded from the Rams to the Lions, it changed the trajectory of his career.
While Goff enjoyed some peaks in Los Angeles, he ultimately came up short in his quest to deliver the Rams a Super Bowl. Ultimately, Sean McVay opted to look for a more established quarterback, and that led the Rams to trade Goff for Matthew Stafford.
Since then, Goff has continued to work on his game, showing gradual improvement and becoming a rock-solid quarterback. He has led Detroit on its deepest playoff run since 1992 and could potentially get the team to its first-ever Super Bowl with a win over the 49ers in the NFC championship game.
Indeed, Goff is back in the spotlight, much like he was during his time with the Rams, who have been a perennial contender under McVay. That has allowed Goff to get more attention than he did in his first two seasons with the Lions, as is wont to happen when in the spotlight.
With that has come some of the typical fun that occurs on the Internet.
During the Lions’ run in the 2024 NFL playoffs, many NFL fans have pointed out that Goff bears a likeness to famous actor Ryan Gosling.
This is hardly a surprise. It’s a comparison that Goff got a lot during his early days in Los Angeles, even before he was a star, professional quarterback there.
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Here’s what to know about Jared Goff’s lookalike and some side-by-side comparisons of the two.
Jared Goff looks like Ryan Gosling
Goff has been told that he looks like Gosling for a long time.
Need proof? Take a look at what Goff posted to X (formerly Twitter) in 2012 after the Novato native to a quick trip to Los Angeles.
Was told I look like Ryan gosling a few times in LA…I’ll take it haha!!
— Jared Goff (@JaredGoff16) July 24, 2012
That well could have happened to Goff…or maybe it didn’t and he was just joking about his similarities to the “Remember the Titans” star.
At a minimum, Goff himself recognized that he was a Gosling lookalike from when he was just 17 years old. Thus, it’s no surprise that NFL fans have noticed the same as he has gotten older.
It’s helped that Gosling has been thrust more into the spotlight in recent years. He has earned praise with his roles in Oscar-nominated films like The Big Short, La La Land, and Barbie, which recently earned him a “Best Supporting Actor” nomination for his role as Ken.
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With Goff’s playoff success coming as Gosling earned that recognition, it’s easy to understand why NFL fans were keen on comparing the two, especially given the similarity between their hair and face shapes.
Below are some of the most notable social media posts about the connection, as well as some side-by-side comparisons of the Lions quarterback and Canadian actor.
Ryan Gosling to play Jared Goff in football pic. pic.twitter.com/dIkoNueTHD
— Gary H. Miller (@brighton11boy) January 22, 2024
Anyone ever see Jared Goff & Ryan Gosling in 1 room at the same time? pic.twitter.com/mNalJA5OzS
— 🎳WizOfDudeowski🎳 (@AssusReamus) January 21, 2024
jared goff and ryan gosling look like siblings i’m so serious
— T✨ (@tori_allena) January 21, 2024
So Jared Goff is kind of the knockoff version of Ryan Gosling.
— Richard Yeselson (@yeselson) January 21, 2024
AFC + NFC Championship QB matchups pic.twitter.com/5HgfbBlG2r
— GhettoGronk (@TheGhettoGronk) January 22, 2024
Can’t wait to see Ryan Gosling play the lead role in “Roar of the Lion: The Jared Goff Story”.
— Steven Seagull (@Brockster310) January 21, 2024
Ryan Gosling as Jared Goff pic.twitter.com/a8dxuZ5qQR
— Stroud Boys Commander™ (@Blvcksby_) January 20, 2024
Of course, not everyone sees the resemblance between the two. Some compared Gosling to Alex Smith and Goff to the likes of Josh Lucas and Giovanni Ribisi.
Still, a majority of fans seeking out Goff’s doppelganger have settled on Gosling as the man to fill that role.
Based on Goff’s tweet from 2012, he’ll be happy Kenough to continue drawing those comparisons.
