What to know about Jonathan Owens, the Green Bay Packers' new safety and husband of Olympic gymnast Simone Biles
Christopher KuhagenAfter a breakout season with the Houston Texans, Jonathan Owens is continuing his remarkable NFL career with the Green Bay Packers. Owens, who has been cut four times since 2019, signed a contract Friday at Lambeau Field, and when he did, he wasn't alone. His wife, Simone Biles, the most decorated gymnast in U.S. history, joined him in Green Bay.
Here's what to know about the newest member of the Packers:
How old is Jonathan Owens?
27.
What position does Jonathan Owens play?
He's a safety.
Owens will be in line to be the starting strong safety, opposite of returning free safety Darnell Savage. Adrian Amos had been the team's starter at strong safety for the past four years, but the Packers haven't re-signed him this offseason. Amos remains a free agent — and the team has given his jersey number, 31, to safety James Wiggins.
Was Jonathan Owens drafted?
No, he went undrafted out of Division II Missouri Western State University in 2018. The Arizona Cardinals signed him as an undrafted free agent, but he spent the entire season on injured reserve after tearing his ACL during OTAs. Attempting to make a comeback, Owens was released before the start of the 2019 season. He caught on with the Houston Texans in September of that year and has been there since, though he spent nearly the first three seasons shifting between the practice squad and active roster, including being cut by them three times.
Has Jonathan Owens been injured?
He told the Houston Texans' website in 2022 that he tore one ACL in high school and the other one when he was looking to launch his NFL career.
What is Jonathan Owens' salary?
Owens started the 2021 season on the practice squad and wasn't promoted to the active roster until Dec. 4. His perseverance paid off as he signed a two-year contract worth $1.39 million on Dec. 9, 2021. Terms of his new Packers contract haven't been released.
What are Jonathan Owens' stats in the NFL?
Owens made an immediate impact after signing the contract in Houston. He had his first career interception and fumble recovery in a win against the Los Angeles Chargers on Dec. 26, 2021.
He finished the 2021 season playing seven games. He had played in a combined seven games in 2019 and 2020.
Then in 2022, Owens took a big jump. He played and started all 17 games for the Texans. His 125 tackles were tied for 21st in the NFL and were second on the team. His 70 solo tackles were 17th in the league. He had his first sack of his career last season and also had four pass deflections.
What is Jonathan Owens' height and weight?
He's 5-foot-11 and 210 pounds.
How did Jonathan Owens and Simone Biles meet?
They met right before the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 via the social media app Raya. Biles reached out to Owens first. The two shared their story in a feature with Texas Monthly in 2021.
Owens told the magazine, “I didn’t know who she was. I just hadn’t heard of her, and when I told her that, that’s one of the things she liked.”
When did Jonathan Owens and Simone Biles get married?
They were officially married April 22, 2023, at the Harris County Courthouse in Houston before holding a destination wedding May 6 in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Biles shared several images on social media of the gorgeous wedding in Mexico. Her former U.S. gymnast teammate Aly Raisman was on the guest list.
Who is Simone Biles?
She's one of the greatest gymnasts in the history of the sport.
Biles has 19 World Championship gold medals and 25 overall, making her the most decorated gymnast in the history of the sport.
She has starred on the Olympic stage. Biles' seven Olympic medals are tied for the most for an American gymnast. She won four gold medals, including the individual all-around, and a bronze at the 2016 Rio Games
Biles added two more medals at the 2020 Olympic Games but became even more known this time for speaking out on her mental health challenges after she withdrew from some of her events.
Biles was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Joe Biden in 2022.
More:What Simone Biles learned from Tokyo Olympics: 'How courageous, how brave I am'
