Before Matthew Stafford led the Rams to a Super Bowl win during the 2021 season, he spent 11 years as quarterback for the Detroit Lions. Prior to that, he was the starter at Georgia, where he met cheerleader Kelly Hall — who would later become his wife. Now entering the 2025/26 season, Kelly remains by his side, cheering him on just like always.

Kelly and Matthew began dating in college but hit a few rough patches. At one point, she even dated his backup quarterback just to “piss him off.” Eventually, the couple worked things out and rekindled their relationship for good.

After being selected No. 1 overall by the Lions in 2009, Stafford began his NFL career with Kelly right there beside him. They tied the knot in 2015 and have remained a strong unit through the highs and lows of NFL life.

Since then, Matthew and Kelly have become parents to four daughters — identical twins Chandler and Sawyer (seven), Hunter (six), and Tyler (four). Kelly frequently posts family moments with their girls on social media.

While at the University of Georgia, Kelly studied nursing and earned her registered nurse license in 2014. She later pivoted into media, launching her own podcast.

She now hosts The Morning After, where she opens up about being a mom and wife to a pro athlete. The show began in September 2021 and started as a solo venture, but she later added Hank Winchester — a longtime friend and Detroit news anchor — as her co-host.

Kelly’s family ties to football run deep. Her brother, Chandler “Chad” Hall, is the wide receivers coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars and formerly played in the NFL for the Eagles, 49ers, and Chiefs.

As most quarterbacks do, Stafford has faced plenty of criticism over the years. Kelly often jumps to his defense online. After his 2022 Super Bowl win, she fired back at critics: “Can y’all just let him enjoy this?! It went from Matthew can’t win, to Matthew can’t win against winning teams, to Matthew can’t win big games, to Matthew can’t win playoff games, to Matthew can’t win it all … And now … the debate on the HOF?”

Matthew, in turn, has supported Kelly during her hardest moments. In 2019, she underwent a 12-hour surgery to remove a brain tumor and had to relearn how to walk.

She couldn’t be with her daughters for two weeks, and doctors feared her hearing might be lost. Matthew stepped away from the Lions to be with her throughout the ordeal.

“Matthew was incredible during the whole process. He was literally by my side at every step,” Kelly shared in an ESPN essay. “I had exercises I needed to do. Some of them were seemingly simple, like shaking my head left and right, and Matthew helped me through all of it.”

Kelly made a full recovery — and the experience only brought them closer.