If Simone Biles had known how big a role the NFL would play in her life, she might have given football a try when she was younger. But who says it’s ever too late? Now, as the wife of Chicago Bears safety Jonathan Owens, the gymnastics legend is exploring more in the world of football. Simone, however, admits she still has a lot to learn about the game and certainly not as much as Jonathan knows about gymnastics. “It’s something I’m working on,” she says, even joking about taking up a side gig as an NFL advisor someday, blending her competitive spirit with newfound wisdom.

Interestingly, Simone had the chance to connect with football during her childhood but wasn’t interested at the time. Growing up in a household of NFL fanatics, she was constantly surrounded by the sport. “My dad and my brothers were always watching football, but I was never into it,” she shared with People. Her family’s passion for the game didn’t rub off on her as Simone’s heart was set on gymnastics. Her love for the sport began at age six after a preschool field trip to a gym where coach Aimee Boorman noticed her talent. From that moment on, Simone’s focus was laser-sharp. “I was always at the gym,” she explains. “It’s not like I even had time to get to know football.”

Even though the Houston Texans would invite her to lead the team out of the tunnel, Simone admitted, “I still knew absolutely nothing about football.” At that time, gymnastics was her entire world, and football was something happening in the background. “In the very beginning, the Texans [in her hometown of Houston] would always bring me out so that I could lead the team out of the tunnel and all of that good stuff, but I still knew not a thing about football,” she said. For Simone, football was not the main focus of her life, gymnastics was. But, things have changed.

However, Owens who didn’t know about gymnastics earlier is fully aware of all the moves, all the scores, and everything else in between. Such contrast is apparent as Simone might not know much about the NFL while Owens is more thorough with gymnastics than it looks.

The NFL player who became a gymnastics nerd for Simone Biles

Jonathan Owens and Simone Biles share a love story that feels straight out of a romance novel or maybe the dating app, Raya, where it all began. At the time they first met, Owens knew very little about gymnastics and readily admitted it. “I had never really paid attention to gymnastics,” he confessed. Fast forward a few years, and the tables have completely turned. This summer, Owens, now a safety for the Chicago Bears, didn’t hesitate to request permission to skip part of training camp for an important reason: traveling to Paris to watch his wife compete in the 2024 Olympics.

And Simone delivered a performance for the ages. She brought home gold medals in the team final, all-around, and vault, along with a silver in the floor exercise. Owens wasn’t just a casual spectator cheering her on and he was fully invested. NBC cameras caught him in the stands wearing a Simone Biles T-shirt, pen, and notepad in hand, meticulously jotting down scores and notes on her routines. His attention to detail sparked curiosity online: what was he writing? As it turns out, Owens was recording execution deductions, difficulty levels, and other technical details of Simone’s performances, proof that he’d become quite the gymnastics aficionado.

Now that the Olympics are behind her (at least until 2028, perhaps), Simone is shifting gears into what Owens jokingly calls “football wifey mode.” The dynamic between them is delightfully ironic: Owens has become the resident gymnastics expert in their household. “I feel like he knows more gymnastics than I know football,” Simone laughed. “He’s very educated. He’s kind of a nerd when it comes to stuff like that.”

Simone, meanwhile, takes a more laid-back approach to football. “I just make sure to find him on the field, then whatever happens, happens,” she said with a smile. “It’s such an unpredictable sport—you never know what can happen.” Their mutual support and shared sense of humor make their relationship a winning team, both on and off their respective fields of play. How do you feel about this cute dynamic between the power couple? Tell us in the comment section below!