Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford has had an incredible NFL career since being selected No. 1 overall in the 2009 NFL Draft. He has become a Super Bowl winner and the second-highest-paid player in NFL history. He’s also thriving off the field, marrying his college sweetheart and building a family with her. Here’s everything you need to know about Stafford’s wife, Kelly, and the couple’s four daughters.
Get To Know Kelly Stafford
Kelly and Matthew initially met at the University of Georgia. Kelly was a cheerleader pursuing a nursing degree, while Matthew became the first true freshman quarterback to start for the Georgia Bulldogs.
The two hit it off almost instantly. Though the couple is now rock solid, even they weren’t immune to the initial ups and downs of a young relationship. In a recent interview with KFC Radio, Kelly revealed that there were hard days for the duo. She discussed how they “went back and forth there for a little bit with the love-hate.”
Fortunately, Kelly had a plan to win Matthew over.
“I dated the backup to piss him [Matthew] off, which worked … He [the backup QB] was the bad boy, too. Like, Matthew’s so sweet and a southern gentleman and all that stuff,” Kelly explained in an interview with Off The Vine. “The backup was the complete opposite, and it upset him.”
Matthew was unwilling to commit to a long-term relationship, as he viewed their relationship as more of a fun fling rather than anything serious.
“So, they lived in the same dorm, because athletes lived in the same dorm, and he would see my car there,” Kelly said. “At one point he waited and followed me out and got in my car and wouldn’t get out. … He was like, ‘He’s not right for you,’ and I was like, ‘You can’t tell me that.’”
NEW: NFL star quarterback Matthew Stafford’s wife says she started dating his backup in college to make him jealous.
Weird flex but ok.
“I dated the backup to piss him off, which worked… He was the bad boy too. Like Matthew's so sweet and southern gentleman and all that… pic.twitter.com/a95vK0HTjC
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) June 20, 2024
Kelly’s plan worked, as the couple ended up sticking together for the long haul.
The pair got married in 2015, roughly a year after Kelly became a registered nurse following her studies at the University of Georgia.
The couple had a serious health scare in April of 2019 when Kelly was diagnosed with a benign brain tumor called an acoustic neuroma. She experienced bouts of vertigo, and it became clear that she needed surgery to remove the tumor.
“Within the last year, I began to notice things that I thought was just me getting older… Things that I had been doing my entire life were now, all of a sudden, difficult,” Kelly said in an Instagram post.
The procedure to remove the tumor was initially expected to take six hours, but it turned into a 12-hour ordeal after the surgeon apparently found an “abnormal” vein in her skull. Fortunately, her neurosurgeon was an expert on these kinds of abnormal veins and had actually written a paper about them.
Kelly made a full recovery, and she seems to be in much better health now.
The Staffords became first-time parents on March 31, 2017. Kelly gave birth to twin daughters, Sawyer and Chandler. A little over a year later, they welcomed their third daughter, Hunter Hope, in August 2018. Then, in June 2020, they welcomed their fourth daughter, Tyler Hall.
One year later, Matthew was traded to the Los Angeles Rams after over a decade with the Detroit Lions. It was a bittersweet move, but it led to a career-high when he led the Rams to victory in Super Bowl LVI.
These days, Kelly is a podcaster with a significant social media following. Her podcast is called “The Morning After,” and she hosts it alongside family friend Hank Winchester.
She is very candid on the podcast, discussing important topics like her struggles with postpartum health and her body-image issues following the birth of her twins. Matthews has appeared on the show as a guest several times.
KEEP READING: Check Out Matthew and Kelly Stafford’s Mansion
Also, Matt and Kelly are part owners of the NWSL soccer club Angel City FC. They invested in the team alongside actor Gabrielle Union, former NFL center Ryan Kalil, WNBA legend Candace Parker, and tennis star Serena Williams.
“We fell in love with attending an Angel City game last season and wanted our daughters to experience something so important and powerful first-hand,” the Staffords said in a statement.
The couple seems very happy, and the college sweethearts have turned many of their wildest dreams into reality. As Matthew went from a college kid to an NFL star to a Super Bowl winner, Kelly was by his side and supported him every step of the way.