Super Bowl champion quarterback Matthew Stafford and podcaster Kelly Stafford have been together since their college days.
They met while attending the University of Georgia and eventually married in 2015. Since then, they’ve had four daughters — twins Sawyer and Chandler, Hunter, and Tyler.
Matthew’s wife and kids are his biggest supporters and are regularly seen cheering him on at games.
“I wouldn’t be here without them,” Matthew told PEOPLE during a February 2022 media event.
A year later, Kelly echoed that love on Instagram, calling Matthew her “rock.”
“Having someone dependable is so underrated in life,” she wrote for his 35th birthday. “We’re so lucky to have you — someone to lean on, cuddle with, feel safe around, and bring us comfort.”
Here’s everything to know about Kelly Stafford, wife of NFL star Matthew Stafford.
She’s been with Matthew since their college years
Matthew and Kelly met during their time at the University of Georgia — where Matthew was the first freshman quarterback to start for the Bulldogs since 1998.
While briefly split, Kelly dated Matthew’s teammate, the backup quarterback. In an interview, she said they had “a love-hate back and forth” and she “dated the backup to make him mad.”
“I always loved Matthew, but told myself to move on. The backup was the opposite of Matthew, so it worked,” she explained.
In January 2023, they attended the national championship where Georgia beat TCU. Kelly vlogged the entire event for her Instagram followers.
She became Matthew’s wife in 2015
After years of dating, Matthew and Kelly married in 2015. She posted photos from the big day on Instagram, including one in her dress.
Paper City reported the wedding had no cell phones, and guests got personalized hats. There was even a Nike shoe bar.
In May 2023, Kelly recapped the day on her podcast, The Morning After, and also posted their wedding video online.
“Watching it, all I see is the man I love and how lucky I am to have a partner who’s not only an amazing husband but a loving, patient father,” she wrote.
In April 2025, they celebrated 10 years of marriage, and Kelly offered advice to her podcast listeners.
“You can’t expect someone you marry at 25 to be the same at 45. People change, priorities shift,” she said. “The strongest couples grow and adapt together.”
She’s a trained nurse
While at the University of Georgia, Kelly studied nursing. She became a registered nurse in 2014 and shared her exam success on Instagram.
She co-hosts The Morning After podcast
In September 2021, Kelly launched her podcast The Morning After. It was solo for two years before she brought on co-host Hank Winchester — a Detroit reporter and family friend.
In August 2023, Kelly said on the podcast that Matthew struggled to “connect” with younger Rams teammates. The remarks sparked controversy, which she later addressed in a Local 4 Detroit interview.
“That was probably the worst thing I’ve done to him,” she said. “It’s not great when your wife’s in the media over football. I really put my foot in my mouth.”
Her brother is also in football
Kelly isn’t the only one close to the NFL — her brother, Chad Hall, is a wide receivers coach for the Buffalo Bills and once played in the league.
He was with the Eagles, 49ers, and Chiefs. He also has a family. According to the Bills’ website, he married Rose Pierce-Tenney in 2018 and has a daughter and a son — making Kelly an aunt.
She and Matthew have four daughters
The couple shares four daughters. Identical twins Sawyer and Chandler were born in March 2017, Hunter in August 2018, and Tyler in June 2020. Kelly regularly shares family photos on social media.
In January 2024, all four girls gave Matthew hugs on the sideline before an emotional Rams vs. Lions playoff game.
She’s spoken on postpartum struggles
On her podcast, Kelly opened up about body image struggles after giving birth to the twins. She said she was “very body-conscious” and struggled with intimacy.
She admitted she was obsessed with losing weight and it hurt her marriage: “I had no energy for Matthew and couldn’t even be naked around him. I just couldn’t.”
“It was hard on our marriage due to how I felt about myself. I know it sounds selfish, but I was so insecure, couldn’t understand why my body didn’t look like others, and was exhausted taking care of twins. I was in a bad mental space and didn’t know how to escape it.”
She had a brain tumor removed in 2019
In April 2019, Kelly announced on Instagram that she had a benign brain tumor, an acoustic neuroma, and needed surgery.
“In the past year, I noticed things I chalked up to aging … Things I used to do easily became difficult,” she wrote, mentioning multiple vertigo episodes.
Later that month, Kelly shared she’d undergone a 12-hour operation to remove the tumor. It was supposed to take six hours, but doctors found an abnormal vein that made the procedure longer.
She defended Matthew after Super Bowl win criticism
Like many star athletes, Matthew has faced fan criticism. After the Rams won the 2022 Super Bowl, some questioned if he deserved Hall of Fame status, per E! News.
Kelly responded on Instagram: “Can y’all just let him enjoy this?!” She continued, “It went from ‘he can’t win’ to ‘he can’t win big games’ to ‘he can’t win at all’ … and now, Hall of Fame debates?”
Following the win, Kelly posted sweet Instagram photos of the couple kissing, captioning it, “My Champion.”
