Gathier (6-9, 340) is a sixth-year tackle in his first full season with the Chargers.
In 2011, Jared Gaither was the Chargers’ “Knight in Shining Armor.” In late November, the Chargers found themselves in trouble. The team had it's last six games in a row and Pro Bowl left tackle Marcus McNeill had been lost to a neck injury. But the Chargers were in the right place at the right time when Kansas City chose to waive the behemoth 6-9, 340-pound tackle. Immediately the Bolts put in a claim and on Nov. 30, Gaither was awarded to the Chargers.
Chargers offensive line coaches Hal Hunter and Mike Sullivan immediately went to work with Gaither. Incredibly, just five days later, Gaither was in the starting lineup as the Chargers tied their season-high with 38 points in a Monday Night Football victory at Jacksonville that halted the team’s losing streak. Gaither went on to hold down the left tackle spot for the final five games of the season. He did not allow a sack and the Chargers closed the year 4-1. As the NFL calendar turned to 2012, the Chargers opted to release McNeill and in March they signed Gaither to a new four-year contract. Everything that Gaither has accomplished thus far in his career is impressive when considering that he’s only played football competitively for a relatively short period of time. He didn’t play in high school until his senior year. He only played two seasons at the University of Maryland. And he missed the entire 2010 season in Baltimore with a back injury. Still, the Chargers believe Gaither has the size and skill to become one of the NFL’s top left tackles. Cooking is one of Gaither’s favorite hobbies.
He learned to cook in college by watching the Food Network and he’s been profiled on ESPN’s Jock Chef and has participated in a number of celebrity chef events during his career.
Gaither also likes to spend time with his four dogs, play video games, fish and spend time out on the water. The very first time he went fishing, Gaither accidentally threw his rod over the side of the boat. He convinced his cousin, Aaron Ball, to give up his rod and Gaither promptly started catching everything in sight and ever since, he’s been hooked on the sport. Gaither visits schools and hosts annual Christmas and Thanksgiving events for underprivileged kids and families in his home state of Maryland. It’s something he started doing when he came into the NFL in 2007.
The 6-9 Gaither only played one season of high school football because he was a three-year letterman in basketball. He was originally ticketed to go to South Carolina on a basketball scholarship, but late in the process he de-committed and accepted a football scholarship to Maryland. Gaither’s older brother, Jamar, played basketball at West Virginia and is now a coach in Maryland.
