The Total Bellas alum first sparked major dating rumors with Cooper, 22, when the pair were spotted looking awfully close during her recent trip to Philadelphia.
In a Dec. 16 Instagram video montage set to Alex Warren's "Ordinary", Nikki threw up a peace sign as she posed in front of the NFL star’s locker at Lincoln Financial Field, before joining him and friends at what appears to be a post-game celebration over the Eagles' 31-0 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders.
At one point during the party, Nikki—who is mom to 5-year-old son Mateo with Artem—could be seen gently touching Cooper on the chest as they sat in a booth. The football player—who was wearing a fur bucket hat that Nikki had been sporting throughout her time in the City of Brotherly Love—then playfully grabbed her arm, spun her around toward the camera, and placed his hand on her back as the two smiled.
"So blessed for the people around me, new friends and old," Nikki wrote in the caption, "who make life so special and fun."
She continued, "And as always Fly Eagles Fly! Truly THE city of brotherly love!"
And while Nikki revealed that she’s not snuggling up to anyone new at this point, she seemed to soft launch a connection between the two for some time. After all, the two were pictured together in August when she dropped in on an Eagles practice while in town for WWE Monday Night Raw.
"Eagles training camp. Lombardi Trophy. Super Bowl rings," she captioned photos of herself posing with Eagles players, including Cooper. "And HUGE THANK YOU to the @philadelphiaeagles for making me feel like a Queen."
E! News has previously reached out to reps for Nikki and Cooper for comment but hasn't heard back.
For now, keep reading for an inside look into the love lives of more NFL stars…
If Hailee Steinfeld likes a man with true grit, she could've done worse than marrying the Bills' three-time Pro Bowl selection.
They tied the knot in California on May 31, 2025.
“She makes everything easier, so I don't really focus on the other stuff,” Josh told reporters in June. “That was the most important decision I'll make in my life—and I made the right one.”
The couple announced Hailee's pregnancy with their first baby together in December 2025.
What's better than winning a Super Bowl? Why, it's winning three—and getting to make the requisite trips to Disneyland afterward with the love of your life.
"I was not prepared for this," Brittany Mahomes told CBS News in July 2023 of the whirlwind of accolades and excitement that came with falling for QB1 at her high school in Whitehouse, Texas. "And at such a young age. We were in love and I loved him with all of my heart. But, you know, I didn't expect it to skyrocket this soon, and us kind of just being thrown into the fire like this."
Patrick proposed at Arrowhead Stadium on Sept. 1, 2020, the day the Chiefs were presented with their Super Bowl LIV rings, and they tied the knot March 12, 2022.
The athlete told CBS that being dad to daughter Sterling Skye, born Feb. 20, 2021, Patrick "Bronze" Lavone Mahomes III, born Nov. 28, 2022, gave him "a much better understanding of being present and enjoying" the game of football.
"When my kids grow up," he explained, "I wanted them to see that dad wasn't just gone just to be gone. I was gone doing something, to build, to be great. And so, whenever they get older, they can see how hard I worked."
Brittany gave birth to daughter Golden Raye on Jan. 12, 2025, her name another nod to precious metal ahead of the Chiefs' 10th straight trip to the postseason.
The low-key Lion married model Christen Harper on June 22, 2024, at the Ojai Valley Inn in Ojai, Calif.
"I swore that he messaged me first," Christen—Sports Illustrated Swimsuit's co-Rookie of the Year in 2022 and a star of the web series Women of the League—told Fox News Digital in 2023 of meeting her future husband on the dating app Raya in 2018. "But when we went and looked back, I actually sent the first message. So all you ladies out there, you better send the first message because you never know—you gotta shoot your shot."
While the co-founder of the wellness app Planted is a permanent fixture on the sidelines rooting for No. 16, Christen called Jared "just the best cheerleader" when it came to her goals as well.
"It's so fun because I get to cheer him on for his football season," she said. "But he is the number one supporter, the number one person that's just in my court."
They've since added to their cheering section, welcoming daughter Romy Isabelle Goff in July 2025.
Not one to flout his relationship on social media, Jalen confirmed to Essence in 2023 that he was "spoken for," and the woman doing the speaking was IT specialist Bryonna "Bry" Burrows.
They dated at University of Alabama, before Jalen finished his college career at Oklahoma and was drafted in 2020, but "I knew a long time ago," he said about their future together. "I mean, to this point in my life, that’s an irreplaceable feeling. I think that's what allowed us to get to where we are now."
Essence subsequently got the scoop on their engagement in September 2024 and Bry was Jalen's wife by the time Men's Health published an April 22 cover story on the 2025 Super Bowl winner.
The 262nd pick in the 2022 NFL draft was never Mr. Irrelevant to Jenna Brandt.
And while the 49ers have another sort of bauble in mind, Brock popped the question in July 2023 and the couple married in Des Moines, Iowa, on March 9, 2024.
On July 28, 2025, the couple jointly shared, "Life just became a whole lot sweeter," as they announced the arrival of daughter Millie Joleen Purdy.
Baker's football fortunes were all over the place for a couple of years before the Bucs took a chance in 2023 and ended up in the playoffs. But throughout the journey, Emily Wilkinson Mayfield has been along for the ride
Baker, a Heisman winner with the University of Oklahoma, met Emily in 2017 and proposed six months later, so she's been there for all of the ups and downs since he went No. 1 in the 2018 NFL draft to the Browns.
And the fairer half of the Baker & Emily Mayfield Foundation is certainly in it for the long haul.
“Happy 4 year anniversary to my sweet husband," Emily posted to Instagram on July 10, 2024. "These last few years we have grown in so many ways, and I am SO proud of where we are in our marriage."
And indeed it was quite the rebuilding year: The couple welcomed daughter Kova Jade Mayfield on April 9, 2024.
Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers
He has some Aaron Rodgers-size shoes to fill in Green Bay, but fiancée Ronika Stone has no doubt Jordan's up to the challenge.
Ronika, a pro volleyball player and daughter of retired Super Bowl champ Ron Stone, rocks Packers merch with pride. And when she and her future mother-in-law Anna Love weren't exactly given the VIP treatment at Arrowhead Stadium during an away game against the Kansas City Chiefs game in 2021, she handled it with grace and humor.
"I always wanted to be on sportscenter...thought it'd be for volleyball tho," Ronika posted to Instagram after a pic of she and Jordan's mother sitting in the nosebleeds went viral.
Knowing a ride or die when he sees one, Love popped the question while they were in Italy in June 2024.
"First step to forever," they posted on Instagram June 23. Joe Flacco, Cincinnati Bengals
The unexpected savior of the Cleveland Browns' 2023-24 playoff chances was Super Bowl winner (with the Ravens) Joe Flacco, who was busy playing stay-at-home dad to his five kids with wife Dana Grady Flacco when he got the call.
"Joe's not one to sit still,” Dana told Cleveland.com ahead of the playoffs. "He was always like, 'What can I do? I’m just going to get you a coffee.' I think I had like seven coffees a day.”
The couple, together since senior year at Audubon High School in New Jersey, married on June 25, 2011. They welcomed Stephen in June 2012, Daniel in September 2013, Francis in January 2015, Evelyn in September 2016 and Thomas in April 2018.
“It’s definitely changed how I spend time in the off-season," Joe said in a Ravens promo video. "Me and my wife look at each other and wonder what we did before we had them, because you’re just wrapped up in those guys."
Not ready to hang up his helmet just yet, Joe signed a one-year deal with the Colts to back up second-year QB Anthony Richardson in 2024 and then agreed to another season with the Browns for $4 million in 2025 before being traded to the Bengals five weeks into the season.
After 12 seasons leading the Lions' offense, the team swapped quarterbacks with the Rams in 2021, meaning longtime Bloomfield Hills, Mich., residents Matthew Stafford and Kelly Stafford were off to L.A.—where he promptly won a Super Bowl in his first season with his new team.
And it turned out he had a secret weapon in the pocket with him: Yes, it was his wife's unflagging support.
Kelly shared on TODAY after the Rams' win that she wrote her husband letters before every game leading up to the big one in February 2022. "It was just how much I thought he truly deserved this, and why I thought he deserved it," she said. "The most important thing at the end of the day is that we all have each other."
Married since April 4, 2015, the Staffords are parents of four daughters: twins Chandler and Sawyer (born March 31, 2017), Hunter Hope (Aug. 16, 2018) and Tyler Hall (June 28, 2020).
"He and I share the same vision for our babies, which I think makes the world of a difference, that we’re on the same page," Ciara, who married Russ in 2016, told Sports Illustrated in 2022. "It’s important that our kids—you know, they have way more access than we had growing up—so we want to make sure we keep them humble in the process to make sure they do things like having to pick up after themselves and knowing that life isn’t going to be handed to you."
Russ joined the Broncos in 2022 after 10 seasons in Seattle and gained a new team member off the field as well: Daughter Amora Princess Wilson was born in December 2023, joining Future Zahir (Ciara's son with rapper Future, born May 2019), daughter Sienna (April 2017), and son Win (July 2020), in the family lineup.
After two lackluster seasons in Denver, he was in comeback-player-of-the-year form with the Steelers. But they also acquired former Chicago Bears QB Justin Fields in 2024, so Russ moved on to sign a one-year deal with the New York Giants in 2025.
The team's quarterback first sparked romance rumors with Sarah Jane Ramos in September 2023 when she shared photos of herself watching a Cowboys game with his sister-in-law Holly Prescott.
In November 2023, Sarah and Dak announced on Instagram that they were expecting their first child.
Margaret Jane Rose Prescott was born Feb. 22, 2024, and Dak ran it in for the game winner in October.
"Mine Forever!!!!" he captioned his Oct. 18 proposal pic. "The Best Friend, Partner, Teammate, Mother, and Now Fiancé I could Ask or Pray for! Thank you God for this Blessing and Family! I Love you."
The couple welcomed their second daughter, Aurora Rayne, on May 22, 2025.
Sure, offensive lines are great, but it's Julie Hampton Cousins who really has Kirk's back.
The elementary school teacher, who married Kirk in 2014, "thrives in the work of supporting" her husband, she told People. "I love hosting people for games, cooking and planning snacks and meals. I also enjoy organizing all kinds of stuff for Kirk off the field, like his bodywork, making sure we all get good sleep and that we're getting in quality time with our boys. It's a very unique job, but I'm very happy to be in it."
And while at 36 Kirk is closer to the end of his career than the beginning, he said he'd love to play until sons Cooper (born Sept. 29, 2017) and Turner (March 10, 2019) can "really remember it and will have enjoyed being a part of it."
Marissa Lawrence has been cheering her husband on since their Cartersville High School days in Georgia—and their photo album includes memories of every milestone, from their senior prom to their April 10, 2021, wedding day to Trevor going No. 1 to the Jaguars just weeks later and many tropical vacations since.
"Every year gets sweeter with you @marissa_lawrence," Trevor wrote on their anniversary in 2023. "2 years down already and we’ve made so many memories and experienced so much together. Excited for all the years to come. I love you more than you know."
And he wasn't kidding about the progressively sweeter years: The couple revealed in June 2024 that "a little Lawrence" was on the way and daughter Shae Lynn Lawrence arrived Jan. 4.
The No. 3 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft came to Foxborough, Mass., ready to start on the field, but he hasn't played the field possibly ever, having been in a relationship with fellow North Carolina Tar Heel Ann Michael Hudson for almost a decade.
"9 years with you and it keeps getting better everyday," Ann wrote Oct. 30 on Instagram. "I couldn’t imagine my life with out you as my best friend. I love you more than you know!"
After wrapping up his rookie NFL season, Drake popped the question, captioning their Jan. 15, 2025, engagement announcement, "Love doing life with you. Can't wait to marry you!"
They endgame sweethearts tied the knot in June 2025.
The only quarterback selected in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft reported for Steelers' training camp in 2023 a married man, swapping vows with former Princeton soccer player Amy Paternoster on June 24.
The couple, who started dating in 2021, honeymooned in Puerto Rico.
On Amy's 22nd birthday Feb. 13, 2023, Kenny posted to Instagram, "Extremely grateful for you every day and spending the rest of my life with you will be the greatest honor I could ask for."
They enjoyed their first wedding anniversary vacationing in Napa, Calif., before Kenny reported for duty with the Philadelphia Eagles to back up Jalen Hurts.
After sharing in the Eagles' 2025 Super Bowl win, Kenny was traded to the Browns.
Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins
After his fifth-year option was picked up by the Dolphins in March 2023, Tua admitted to reporters that he considered retiring after his injury-marred 2022 season.
And not least because he had so many wonderful things to stay home for.
"Never one to put my private life out there. But this one deserved a post," Tua wrote on July 17, 2023, sharing a one-time-only snap of his love Annah Tagovailoa. "Happy 1 Year Anniversary to my beautiful wife. I love you."
In a rare peek into his off-field world, Tua told reporters in November 2022 that he was thankful for his wife and new baby (son Ace, born in August 2022, made his public debut at the Tua Foundation luau benefit the following April).
"It's very unique how having a child impacts how you see things differently in life. It’s like nothing that I’ve experienced," Tua said. "There’s no playbook for this because everyone’s experience is different, whether you’re having a boy first or a girl."
That being said, he added, "I thank my heavenly Father up above that I got a boy first. Oh, man. I don’t know what I’d do if I had a girl. It'd be a little harder, I think, because I wouldn’t know what to do necessarily."
Tua and Anna have since welcomed daughter Maisey.
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