A term previously used to describe the wives of girlfriends of footballers across the pond has traveled to America’s most popular sport.
The term WAGs (wives and girlfriends) was popularized by the U.K. press in the early aughts in relation to Victoria Beckham, a pop singer for the Spice Girls who was married to star footballer David Beckham and a frequent fixture at his matches. While originally referring to the wives and girlfriends of footballers across the pond, and meant to be a tad reductive, it’s now been adopted as part of the cultural lexicon and has made its way to America’s most popular sport: football.
The coupling of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, the pop superstar and stud tight end for the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs (who now makes considerable more money off the field via his podcast and brand deals), has put the NFL’s WAGs under the spotlight. Swift almost single-handedly increased the NFL’s popularity among girls and women, including a 53% increase among girls aged 12-17 and 34% increase in women 35+, while adding an estimated $1 billion+ in revenue to the league.
And the NFL took notice. Prior to this season, the league highlighted its WAGs like pop star Madison Beer (fiancée of Chargers QB Justin Herbert), model Olivia Ponton (girlfriend of Bengals QB Joe Burrow) and influencer Marissa Ayers (Giants QB Jaxson Dart’s partner) by capturing footage of them getting cozy with their significant others at NFL training camp as part of a coordinated content rollout.
And so, with the spotlight shining on them brighter than ever and the NFL season in full swing, here are the NFL’s top WAGs, which range from influencers (and lots of them) to pop stars, entrepreneurs and Olympic gold medalists.
“Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married.” That was how Swift, the most famous and awarded musician on the planet, announced her engagement to Kelce, the future Hall of Fame tight end (and three-time NFL champion) for the Kansas City Chiefs. Swift single-handedly helped improve the NFL’s popularity among women when she started dating Kelce and showing up to Chief games, increasing NFL viewership among teen girls by 53% while generating over $1 billion in value for the league. Swift and Kelce, of course, are now husband and wife, having tied the knot in July in a star-studded ceremony at New York City’s Madison Square Garden.
Madison Beer is the latest pop star to generate headlines with an NFL boyfriend. Dating rumors sparked in Aug. 2025 after Los Angeles Chargers QB Justin Herbert was pictured on the set of one of her music videos. She went on to attend several Chargers games, and their relationship was confirmed in October as they sat courtside at a Lakers game. The couple got engaged in July, and Beer shared a carousel of photos via Instagram captioned, “meet my fiancé.” In Jan. 2025, Beer released her third studio album, “Locket,” featuring fan favorites “Yes Baby” and “Bittersweet.” There’s no word on new music just yet, and it seems the couple has turned their attention towards two things: football and planning a wedding.
Actress Hailee Steinfeld burst onto screens as plucky farm girl Mattie Ross in the Coen brothers’ 2010 film “True Grit,” earning an Oscar nomination for her breakthrough performance. She’s made quite a name for herself since, starring in a slew of films, including “The Edge of Seventeen” and her scene-stealing turn in “Sinners.” She also briefly moonlighted as a pop star — and was a member of Taylor Swift’s once-legendary posse in the “Bad Blood” music video. She began dating Buffalo Bills quarterback (and 2024 league MVP) Josh Allen in 2023, and the pair tied the knot in May 2025. Earlier this year, they welcomed a baby girl named Harper; Allen described her as “the most unbelievable blessing.”
The former member of popular girl group Fifth Harmony, of “Work from Home” fame, caused quite the stir with her debut solo single “Motivation” (and accompanying dance-heavy music video). She released her long-awaited debut album “Dopamine” in 2024, recently served as a guest judge on “America’s Got Talent” and has been dating the Pittsburgh Steelers’ muscle-bound wide receiver DK Metcalf, a two-time Pro Bowl selection, since 2022. Metcalf announced the couple’s engagement in March 2025 during his introductory press conference upon joining the Steelers.
Simone Biles needs no introduction. Born in Ohio and raised in Texas, the 7-time Olympic gold medalist made her Olympic debut during the 2016 games in Rio. Her husband, safety Jonathan Owens, was a free agent following the end of his contract with the Chicago Bears, and in March signed on to the Indianapolis Colts. The couple first made headlines three years ago, when Owens shared that they’d met on a dating app but alleged he’d had no idea who Biles was, elsewhere implying that he was “a catch.” The pair have been married since April 2023.
The beauty pageant game was Olivia Culpo’s first claim to fame, having won both Miss Rhode Island USA and Miss USA in 2012. As social media began to take over, she pivoted and pursued a career as an influencer. Prior to meeting her now-husband Christian McCaffrey — Pro Bowl running back for the San Francisco 49ers and son of wide receiver Ed McCaffrey — she was in a two-year relationship with Nick Jonas, even starring in the music video for “Jealous.” Now, she and McCaffrey have a baby girl, Colette, with another child on the way. In July, she launched Picolette, described as “an elevated baby collection,” in collaboration with Target.
The 26-year-old two-time Olympic champion snowboarder became the youngest woman ever to capture Olympic gold as a 17-year-old, and has three gold medals at the World Championships as well as five ESPY Awards. A second-generation Korean-American, Kim’s father moved to America with only $800 in his pocket and made his way, eventually quitting his job to fully support Kim’s blossoming snowboarding career. Kim began dating All-Pro defensive end Myles Garrett of the Los Angeles Rams in 2025 and the two are still going strong.
Brittany Mahomes, wife of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, has been with her husband from the start. They met and started dating while in high school, and Mahomes popped the question eight years later in 2020. The special moment took place at Arrowhead Stadium, on the same day as the ring ceremony for Super Bowl LIV. That same year she became a partial owner of Kansas City National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), now named the Kansas City Current. She’s also landed several brand deals and partnerships with Amazon, Adidas and Whoop. Fellow Chiefs WAG Taylor Swift has even buddied up with Mahomes, and the duo often sit together at games when Swift is in attendance.
Influencer and book podcaster Olivia Ponton is a WAG shrouded in mystery. The 24-year-old was first linked to Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow in 2024 when she called to report a burglary at Burrow’s Ohio home that had occurred while the team was in Dallas playing the Cowboys. Since then, she and Burrow have had only a handful of public appearances, the most recent during Bengals training camp in August. The pair have neither confirmed nor denied their relationship. Her podcast, “Booked, Blonde & Busy,” is in the middle of its second season, with guests including “Sex and the City” writer Candace Bushnell.
Ayers is a social media influencer 1.6 million TikTok follower, model and ring girl for Jake Paul’s boxing company MVP Promotions. And she may be a graduate of the University of Alabama, but she’s dating former Ole Miss quarterback (and current New York Giants rising star) Jaxson Dart, aka Donald Trump’s favorite QB. Ayers confirmed the couple’s relationship in Jan. 2026 and they subsequently made their red carpet debut in February at 2026 NFL Honors.
Haley (on the left), along with her fraternal twin Hanna, make up the Cavinder Twins, former college basketball players for the Miami Hurricanes turned social media stars. The sisters have 4.5 million TikTok followers, netted millions in NIL deals while in school, are official brand ambassadors for Under Armour and co-founded the clothing company Baseline Team. Cavinder has been with Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson since 2023, and the two lovebirds got married on June 20, 2026, in Miami.
There are plenty of influencer gals amongst NFL WAGs, and Warner is one of them, amassing 3.5 million TikTok followers. She also appeared as a contestant on Season 24 of ABC’s reality-dating competition “The Bachelor.” While she may not have been Peter Weber’s choice in the end, her appearance on the show led Pro Bowl linebacker Fred Warner of the San Francisco 49ers to slide into her DMs. The two got married in 2022 and welcomed their second child together in January of this year.
Simone Biles and Chloe Kim aren’t the only Olympians to make the list. Slayton, 25, is the reigning heptathlon world champion and won two NCAA Division 1 titles while at the University of Florida. At the end of last year, she got engaged to wide receiver Darius Slayton, and the couple got married in April. Just weeks ago, however, the news broke that Slayton had been released by the New York Giants and is now a free agent. It was a change that many saw coming, and the player has yet to be acquired by another team. His other half, meanwhile, continues to train and compete in her own sport under her professional contract with Adidas.
Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley met his girlfriend Anna Congdon while the two attended Penn State in 2016. They have two children together, Jada and Saquon, born in April 2018 and Sept. 2022, respectively. In 2025, Barkley proposed to his longtime partner just weeks ahead of the Eagles’ Super Bowl appearance against the Kansas City Chiefs, and that October, the entire family featured in the documentary “Saquon” from Prime Video.
Deebo Samuel has lit up the NFL as a wide receiver (and occasional running back) since 2019, earning All-Pro honors in 2021, and Jones has been by his side through all of it. The couple has remained extremely private, but fans were offered a rare glimpse into their life through “The Deebo Samuel Documentary” where she briefly – but warmly – talks about her life with Samuel and raising a child together. Samuel is currently a wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers and yes, his nickname comes from Tiny Lister Jr.’s character in the movie “Friday.”
On Jan. 14, 2024, Taylor Swift showed up to a Chiefs game sporting a puffer jacket that sent fans into a frenzy. Later, via Instagram, Juszczyk confirmed she had created Swift’s jacket and shared a behind-the-scenes look at her creative process. Later that same month, she got the coveted NFL licensing rights, leading to the launch of her brand Off Season, which operates under the Fanatics umbrella. She is married to Kyle Juszczyk, who’s been a fullback for the San Francisco 49ers since 2017. In August, Off Season rolled out its newest NFL collection with a campaign starring WAGs from the Detroit Lions, Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots.
The California native is the daughter of former NFL guard Ron Stone and was a volleyball star while at the University of Oregon, ranking third in total blocks and fifth in points, and later went pro with San Diego Pro Volleyball. Love has dated Green Bay Packers QB Jordan Love since September 2020, when the two linked up during the pandemic, and has gone viral a number of times on TikTok (where she has 250K followers) sharing content of the eye-catching couple. They got married in 2025 and welcomed their first child together in May 2026.
Christen and Jared Goff are a Raya success story. The couple met in 2018 while he was playing for the Los Angeles Rams. He would remain with the team through the end of the 2020 season, and in 2021 was traded to the Detroit Lions. Her career is a combination of acting, modeling, and influencer work. She has been featured in every Sports Illustrated issue since 2022 after winning the brand’s Swim Search competition the year prior, and walked in one of its famed runway shows earlier this year. In 2025, the couple welcomed their first child, Romy, who joined Harper Goff in cheering on from the sidelines.
Kittle first met her husband George, an elite tight end for the San Francisco 49ers, when the two were freshmen at the University of Iowa back in 2012. But Kittle is an athlete in her own right — a former McDonald’s All-American basketball player who played for the Iowa Hawkeyes in college before a knee injury sidelined her. The two tied the knot in 2019, and now Kittle, who competed in bikini competitions, runs her own training company, Claire Till Fitness, and broadcasts content to her 500K Instagram followers.
If Johnson looks familiar at all, it’s because she was a contestant of Season 5 of Netflix’s addictive reality-dating series “Too Hot to Handle.” The model, reality star and influencer met defensive end Jermaine Johnson II at a Super Bowl event in 2023, and he proposed two years later. The couple got married in July in Laguna Beach, California, surrounded by family, friends and plenty of athletes and reality stars. Johnson II, a former Pro Bowler for the Jets, currently plays for the Tennessee Titans.