There is a lot to enjoy when it comes to the NFL. The National Football League has the incredible athletic ability of the players. There's the crafty play calling by the coaches that can lead to the thrill of a touchdown or the agony of a blocked field goal kick. There's the joy of cheering for the team we love and the equal joy of cheering against our rivals. This season there has also been the fun of Taylor Swift sightings (even if that did come with having to listen to grown men whine about her doing the VERY NORMAL thing of showing up to watch her man play. Get over it, dads, Brads, and Chads).
All of that is great, but we're also very big fans of catching glimpses of those big, strong players turning into total girl dads once they are off the field. There's just something extra sweet about watching the tough guys on the field shift into cuddly dad mode. From current greats (yes, we love Jason Kelce too!) to coaches to Hall of Famers, we're here to shout-out the NFL dads who love having daughters.
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Jason Kelce
Anyone who has watched the NFL this year knows that Jason Kelce is a big family guy. The Philadelphia Eagles great has been on the sidelines to cheer on his younger brother Travis, and fans who watched his popular documentary Kelce saw that he was a loving dad to his three daughters.
He told People Magazine that he loves "all my girls" and that "Before I had children, I told myself if I ever have a daughter, I'm just going to treat them exactly the same as a son. I don't think that you should treat kids necessarily different.
"And then when I had a daughter, I was like, 'I'm not going to spoil her, I'm going to raise her tough," he added. "She's going to be hard.' And the moment she came out, I was like, 'Yeah, that's not going to work.'"
Dak Prescott
Although Jason Kelce is an experienced girl dad, Dallas Cowboy's star Dak Prescott is a girl dad in waiting. His girlfriend is expecting their first child, a daughter, and Dak has already called himself a girl dad and shared his excitement on Instagram. "How thankful I am to do this with you can’t be explained! God makes no mistakes and nothing is coincidental and for that, I thank Him Daily! ❤️ I love you, and y’all can always count on me ♥️ Let’s do this Mama," he wrote.
Matthew Stafford
Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is a girl dad and a twin dad! He and his wife Kelly have four daughters, including a set of twins born in 2017. He's proudly brought the girls down to the playing field many times, including after winning the Super Bowl in 2022.
More from CafeMom: 17 Sets of Twins All Enroll in Kindergarten in the Same School District
Chris Harris Jr.
Former Denver Bronco and Super Bowl-winning cornerback Chris Harris Jr. is a happy father of four daughters. In an interview with DFW Child, he described what being a girl dad means to him: "Just being there, being in their lives. That’s really what they want is me being around and being able to talk to them and be interactive with them. Just being there anytime they need, as a friend too, and being able to guide them in life."
Carson Wentz
Another member of the Los Angeles Rams who is living the girl dad life is Carson Wentz, who previously played for the Washington Commanders. He has three daughters, including the newest arrival, baby girl Hayes. He shared the news about his newest daughter on Instagram, writing, "Girl Dad x3 ! Meet our new little blessing… Hayes Emersyn
"What a wild week it's been, but I'm beyond grateful this little girl made her entrance into this crazy world at just the right time so I could be home for it! Gods timing is always perfect…. learning that more and more everyday. So thankful for my incredible wife and all she does for me and our 3 girlies! She was a rockstar once again!
"Welcome to our crazy fam and our crazy adventure, my sweet Hayes. We love you so much already!" he ended his post.
Stefon Diggs
Stefon Diggs has one daughter, a cutie named Nova. Not only has he happily had her on the sidelines and the field with him after games, but he's also posted videos of himself doing her hair and bragging that he's got the "getting this doing hair thing down packed."
We love a hands-on dad!
Mike McDaniel
OK, we're cheating a little bit here. Mike McDaniel isn't a player, but we can also have some love for the girl dads who are making it big as NFL coaches too!The Miami Dolphins head coach has been candid that time is always hard to come by in the NFL but that his daughter is also a source of balance in his life.
Nick Sirianni
Another NFL coach who knows exactly how fun it is to have a daughter is Philadelphia Eagles coach Nick Sirianni. He discovered earlier in the season that it is very easy to get upstaged at a press conference when his daughter Taylor showed off her wide range of silly faces while her dad talked.
Jordan Hicks
We just can't help it. There is something so dang cute about seeing big sporty guys carrying around their daughters on the football field. Sorry, not sorry. Jordon Hicks of the Minnesota Vikings totally makes our cute dad list.
Patrick Peterson
A good girl dad always has his daughter's back. For Patrick Peterson (who has played for the Arizona Cardinals, Minnesota Vikings, and Pittsburgh Steelers), that must go both ways because his daughter was ready to storm the field when she saw some other that some other players had "pushed Daddy." So cute!
Leonard Fournette
Buffalo Bills running back Leonard Fournette might be six feet of pure muscle and speed, but he's a pushover for his daughter, Lyric. He wasn't afraid to show that being a girl dad means going on cupcake runs and getting his nails done. We love to see it!
Phidarian Mathis
Washington Commanders defensive tackle Phidarian Mathis works hard on and off the field, and he is clear that he's doing it all for his daughter. He's shared that he wants to work hard to "give her the world" and that noted that "in football, you have to find your why … she is my why."
Awww!
Terry Bradshaw
Sure, Terry Bradshaw is a Hall of Famer and has multiple Super Bowl rings and has had a long career as a sportscaster, actor, and now reality TV star. But he's also a total girl dad to his three daughters. People magazine reports that of those accomplishments, it might be the dad part that was the hardest. He joked that "I thought winning four Super Bowls was hard, but it's nothing compared to having three girls!"
Julian Edelman
Julian Edelman, who retired from the New England Patriots in 2021, is the proud papa to a 7-year-old daughter named Lily. He shared on social media that dad life might even be better than football life, stating that "Watching you grow into a silly, kind, loving, compassionate person has been the joy of my life. Love you baby girl."
Philip Rivers
Although Philip Rivers has three sons, we think we can count him on the girl dad list because he has seven daughter as well! His oldest daughter, Halle, shared with the San Diego Chargers website that her dad is "so selfless…He's an NFL quarterback; he's doing a million different things every day, but every day he comes home, and he wants to be with us. If he has one extra minute that he could do something else, he'll be with us."
Rivers retired in 2020 after 17 seasons in the NFL, so he hopefully is enjoy a whole lot more girl dad time now.
