LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Van Jefferson will play in the biggest game of his life on Sunday, but Friday night was just as important.
It was Jefferson’s first “daddy-daughter” dance with his 5-year-old daughter, Bella, at her school.
Jefferson, a second-year receiver for the Rams who is blossoming into a key player in their offense, has been inundated with media and marketing requests all week as the Rams took a global stage ahead of a Super Bowl appearance against Cincinnati. But this was the event circled on his calendar. And as Jefferson presented Bella with a bouquet of roses to kick off their own big evening, it was the only thing that mattered.
“It’s their first one, and he was like, ‘I’m not missing it. I don’t care that it’s two days before the Super Bowl. I’m going to be there, I’m going to be there for her. I have to show up for her,'” said Samaria, Jefferson’s wife. She is also expecting their second child, a son, at any moment — the official due date is Feb. 17, but Samaria is preparing for any scenario in a week like this.
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“I’m feeling pretty good — I’m definitely feeling 40 weeks (pregnant),” she told The Athletic this week, laughing. “I’m definitely feeling the pressure and the pain. Nerves for Van, nerves for our family — but it’s OK.”
“I’m excited about it,” Jefferson added this week. “Excited to play in the Super Bowl as well. … Two things going on. I’m happy about both of them. Maybe he can wait just a little bit longer, until after the Super Bowl!”
Samaria and Van are high school sweethearts who began dating while they attended Ravenwood High School near Nashville, Tenn. She fondly remembers cheering him on from the bleachers Friday nights in his No. 2 jersey. The two had Bella as Samaria finished high school, and with Jefferson in college (first to Ole Miss, and then to Florida), but shortly after, they split up. But Samaria still watched every game. About four years later, they found each other again.
“We left it to God. We let him do his thing and we said, ‘Hey, if it’s meant to be, then we’ll come back to each other.’ And that’s exactly what happened,” she said. As Jefferson prepared to enter his second NFL season, the two got married.
“It’s been crazy, for sure. Adjusting to (NFL life), marriage, new baby, all of those things. But it’s so great to see how well he manages it,” Samaria said. “He’s a great dad, a great team player, all of the things. I don’t know how he does it, but he does it.”
Jefferson has worked to make a difference for the Rams despite a talent-loaded receivers room that features Cooper Kupp, a triple crown receiver, and Odell Beckham Jr. It could have been easy to get lost behind the “names” on the Rams’ star-studded roster. But Jefferson has put together a solid season.
In 17 regular-season starts, Jefferson caught 50 passes for 802 yards and six touchdowns, averaging 16 yards per catch. The Rams have needed his length and speed to help stretch the field in their evolved, explosive offense. They also needed him to step up after the loss of Robert Woods to an ACL tear in November (right after the team signed Beckham).
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“He’s a very gifted player,” coach Sean McVay said this week. “I think he’s only gotten better as he’s gotten more confident, more experience. He’s made a handful of big plays, a bunch of crunch-time catches for us. I think the future is really bright for this guy. … He’s only going to get better. I love Van Jefferson.”
Jefferson’s season of growth has been punctuated by new moments for his family — Samaria’s pregnancy, playing in a division against his father, Shawn (who is the receivers coach for the Arizona Cardinals and who played in two Super Bowls himself), and showing Bella that all of her moments are just as important as his own.
One day this season after the team broke down the huddle to signal the end of practice, Jefferson left the field at a full sprint. That was the day of his first parent-teacher conference at Bella’s school, he explained breathlessly as he passed a row of media members on the sideline, and he didn’t want to be late.
Van, Samaria and Bella after the Rams won the NFC championship. (Courtesy of the Jefferson family)
Samaria marvels at the journey the two have been on since the days of cheering for him from the bleachers at Ravenwood. Sunday, she — yes, at 40 weeks pregnant — will cheer him on from a suite at SoFi Stadium. She hasn’t missed a home game this season.
“Just like any other game, I’m going to be there this Sunday and I’m going to stay calm … and pray to God my water doesn’t break,” she said. “I am 100 percent going to be there. I would not miss this moment for anything. I will be 40 weeks pregnant at the Super Bowl, supporting my husband 100 percent.”
The family, and the Rams’ support staff, are under strict instructions from Samaria to not tell Jefferson during the game if she does go into labor — her decision, despite Jefferson’s protests.
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“He is going to play. He is going to keep playing,” she said. “I said, ‘You play, I’ll see you at the hospital afterwards.’ That’s what it is. I will never take that moment away from him. I want to see him glorify God on the field that day. … Knowing Van and how he is so caring, he just worries so much about me and the kids. … If I did tell him or someone told him during the game, he would come off that field. We’re saying, ‘Hey, you go play. We’ll see you after.’”
Samaria is hopeful there’s not just one but two new additions to their family this week.
“A baby, and a Lombardi!”
(Top photo: Meg Oliphant / Getty Images)