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John Wolford’s first NFL snap came in the 2018 preseason with the Jets. Now he’s getting ready for Super Bowl LVI.
It’s been quite the football journey for Wolford. He signed with the Jets three days after he accepted a job at North Carolina-based private equity firm Teall Capital in the summer of 2018 and played in one preseason game for Gang Green. Wolford played 39 minutes for New York against the Eagles but was released the following day on Sept. 4 after going 8-20 for 89 yards with one interception.
“I know it was brief, but I’ll look back and cherish that moment,” Wolford told ESPN in 2018. “Not a lot of people get to go out and play for the New York Jets. I’m working my ass off to get another shot to play for them, but that’s the way it goes. I’ll remember that time for the rest of my life.”
Wolford got another opportunity, just not in the NFL. He was taken in the second round of the inaugural Alliance of American Football draft in 2019 by the Arizona Hotshots. He completed 63.1 percent of his passes for 1,617 yards, 14 touchdowns and seven interceptions for them. The league folded after eight games, but Wolford signed with the Rams soon after.
He got a better shot in Los Angeles as Jared Goff’s backup. Wolford started the final game of the Rams’ 2020 season after Goff suffered a hand injury, helped clinched a playoff berth and became the first quarterback in NFL history to pass for more than 200 yards and rush for more than 50 yards in his debut. Wolford also started the Rams’ first playoff game but was forced to leave with a neck injury. Though he went to the hospital, Wolford made a full recovery.
Wolford kept his job this season after the Rams traded Goff for Matthew Stafford. He earned the praise of his coaches, teammates and the front office and returned in 2021 as Stafford’s primary backup.
“Our staff and players were confident in him.” Rams’ general manager Les Snead told the Florida Times-Union this past week. “Any time a quarterback proves he can win a big game, he earns the trust of the players. A backup going in and winning a game to get you in the playoffs? That’s all you can ask for.”
Chances are Wolford won’t see any action in Super Bowl LVI. He only touched the ball 24 times this season – five of which were passing attempts – and would only enter the game if Stafford suffered a serious injury. But Wolford believes he’s prepared for the moment if it happens.
“If my number is called, then I’m already in the game mentally because it’s hard to go into a game cold and play those high-speed reps,” Wolford told the Times-Union. “You have to be ready at a moment’s notice and prepare like you’re the starter.”
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