People | June 10, 2021 10:59 AM EDT

30 Interesting Facts About Grady Jarrett You Probably Didn’t Know Before

(Photo : Thomson20192)

Grady Jarrett, since his rookie season in 2015, has been that player, who just gives it his all to the game, becoming a long-time staple for his team. Despite being one among the best interior defensive linemen in the NFL, he had continued to receive disrespect. Each and every season, he had proved that he is a one-man wrecking crew and has earned himself a name as a remarkable defensive tackle. Here are some really inspiring facts about Grady that every fan must know:

    "USO/NFL Tour with Atlanta Falcons" by The USO is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

  1.  Grady sacked Tom Brady three times in the game against New England Patriots, during the Super Bowl LI, and tied the record for most sacks in a single Super Bowl game.
  2.  He signed a four-year $2.527 million contract with Atlanta Falcons on May 9, 2015, and played 15 games in his rookie season, finishing the season with 24 tackles, four tackles for loss, two quarterback hits and one sack.
  3.  It has been reported that Grady recorded his first professional sack, during the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, on December 12, 2015.
  4.  He signed a four-year contract extension worth $68 million ($42.5 million guaranteed), with the Falcons on July 15, 2019, making him the third highest paid defensive tackle in NFL.
  5.  During the 2018 season, in the Week 15 game against the Arizona Cardinals, he recorded seven tackles, two sacks and forced fumble, earning the title NFC Defensive Player of the Week.
  6.  Grady Jarrett was born on April 28, 1993 to Jessie Tuggle and Elisha Jarrett in Atlanta, Georgia. He was raised by his mother Elisha and her husband Grady Jarrett Sr.
  7.  Through his father, Grady has two siblings – Justin Tuggle, who is a football defensive end for the Edmonton Football Team of the Canadian Football League, and Jessica Tuggle, who played tennis in college.
  8.  From his mother’s side, he has two sisters – Kamilya and Ashema. He lives with his family in Conyers, Georgia.
  9.  He has a very close relationship with Ray Lewis, who was a linebacker with the Baltimore Ravens throughout his NFL career of 17 years. Grady calls him as “uncle” although they are not related by blood.
  10.  During the second day of the 2015 NFL Draft, his house in Conyers, Georgia, partially burned down, as a fire began in the upper level of their home and spread quickly.
  11. "File:Ra'Shede Hageman and Grady Jarrett, 2016.jpg" by Thomson200 is licensed under CC0 1.0

  12.  At that time, there were nearly 50 people, including his friends and family members, in the house. No injuries were reported and the cause of fire is believed to be electrical.
  13.  The next day, he and his mother Elisha went to Elisha’s niece’s house to watch the second of the NFL’s three-day draft.
  14.  As the selections went on without his name being called, Grady couldn’t hold it anymore and tears were streaming down his eyes, as he lay on the floor.
  15.  Elisha, consoling him, grabbed a piece of paper and wrote “Falcons, pick 105,” on premonition. She placed it in Jarrett’s pocket, saying this isn’t over, and he just needs an opportunity.
  16.  The Falcons traded two draft picks – 146th and 187th to the Minnesota Vikings, in order to take Jarrett, as the 137th overall pick. He, till date, holds to the piece of paper that Elisha wrote on.
  17.  It has been said that, Grady’s stature of 6 feet 305 pounds was the biggest reason he fell back to the fifth round of the 2015 draft, as he was regarded as too short to fit the mold of a prototypical defensive tackle.
  18.  His biological father Jessie Tuggle once claimed in an interview that Grady was too worried about his height, and that he would always say “I hope I grow three more inches” whenever they spoke.
  19.  Tuggle also added that if Grady had been 6-3 or 6-4, he would have definitely been a 5-star, and said that Grady was caught up on the fact that he wasn’t ranked higher.
  20.  Jarrett attended Rockdale County High School in Conyers, Georgia, where he was a two-time All-state selection. He was a three-time All-regional selection on defense and second-team All-region on offense as a senior, as well as a three-time selection as the team's top defensive player.
  21.  He was also a member of the school’s wrestling team. As a junior, he was fourth in wrestling in the state, while as a senior; he won the state heavyweight title.
  22. "Grady Jarrett" by Thomson20192 is licensed under CC0 1.0

  23.  Grady was a top performer in track & field, and even won the state title in the shot put as a senior with a throw of 15.46 meters (50-6).
  24.  He also played in the North-South All-Star game in Georgia and Florida Maxx Scout All-Star Bowl. He had a total of 17 tackles, seven tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and three caused fumbles, in the two games.
  25.  He was rated a three-star recruit by Rivals.com, while the Scout.com rated him as #41 defensive tackle in the nation. However, he was committed to Clemson University to play college football.
  26.  During his time at Clemson, as a true freshman, he made two tackles in the nine games he appeared. He started 11 of 13 games as a sophomore, while having 49 tackles and two sacks.
  27.  He recorded a total of 73 tackles and 1.5 sacks in the 13 games during his successful senior season, and was named first team All-ACC.
  28.  At the end of the 2018 season, Pro Football Focus ranked him at #17 on the PFF Top 101 list, and tied him for the best in the league for an interior defensive lineman with a 91.0 grade.
  29.  In the 2019 season, during the Week 9 game against New Orleans Saints, Grady had 2.5 sacks and five quarterback hits in the 26-9 upset win. He finished the 2019 season with a career-high 7.5 sacks and 69 tackles, as well as 11 tackles for loss and 2 forced fumbles.
  30.  He was invited to his first Pro Bowl on December 17, 2019, and was named second-team All-Pro, on January 3, 2020. He was selected to his second Pro Bowl on December 20, 2020.
  31.  In the 2020 season Week 1 game against the Seattle Seahawks, Grady led the Falcons with 1.5 sacks on quarterback Russell Wilson, although they lost by 38-25.
  32.  During the COVID-19 pandemic, Jarrett provided meals for first responders – firefighters and police, in his hometown Georgia’s Rockdale County, as well as Atlanta.
  33.  Grady Jarrett Net Worth: $15 Million

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