The Moment
Baker Mayfield just pulled off the most on-brand dad announcement possible: heartfelt, chaotic, and a little bit censored.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback and his wife, Emily, revealed this week that they’re expecting their second child, a baby boy due in April 2026. In photos shared on social media, the couple did a low-key, family-only gender reveal with a cake cut open to show blue inside. No cannons, no pyrotechnics, no collapsing party barns. Just cake. Growth!
Emily wrote that a “new addition” is coming in April 2026 and that they “couldn’t feel luckier.” The pair already share daughter Kova Jade, born in April 2024, so they’re about to have two kids under two. Pray for their sleep schedule.
Baker then talked about the news with reporters and, when asked if he’d let his son play football, launched into proud-dad-philosopher mode… and then dropped the line that’s now doing laps online: he joked he’s going to have a “little s***head” on his hands and called it “karma.”
Honestly? That might be the most relatable thing he’s ever said.
The Take
I love that this announcement wasn’t treated like the Super Bowl of gender reveals. No helicopters, no live-streamed countdown, just cake and close family. For an NFL star, that’s practically minimalist parenting.
The real headline, of course, is the “little s***head” line. On paper it sounds harsh, but in context it reads exactly like the way a sleep-deprived, slightly scarred former wild child talks about finally getting his turn on the karma wheel. Every parent I know has used some version of that phrase about a kid they adore. It’s the love language of exhausted people who haven’t sat down since 2019.
What’s more interesting is how Baker handled the inevitable “Will your son play football?” question. He didn’t pound his chest and declare the boy a future QB1; instead he said his parents weren’t thrilled about him playing at one point, and that if a kid wants to do something, you encourage them and help them handle it as best you can.
That’s not old-school “rub some dirt on it” energy. That’s modern-dad energy. The kind of answer you give when you’ve seen enough concussion headlines and still love the game, but you also like your child’s brain.
It’s like watching the NFL version of a classic dad evolve: he’s still the guy yelling at the TV on Sunday, but now he’s also reading up on helmet safety and pretending not to gag at diaper pails. (And yes, he’s already joked that dirty diapers are not his specialty.)
Is Baker the first athlete to crack a crude joke about his future kid? Of course not. But this mix of self-deprecation, cautious parenting, and low-key family celebration feels very 2020s. Less “my heir to the throne,” more “my tiny roommate with better hair who will eventually roast me on TikTok.”
Receipts
Confirmed:
CONGRATS! 🥳👶 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Quarterback Baker Mayfield and his wife Emily have announced they are expecting a new baby boy! https://t.co/QfWLsNhqrR pic.twitter.com/O5kt3BvFtR
— WFLA NEWS (@WFLA) November 19, 2025
- Emily Mayfield shared on social media that the couple is expecting a new baby in April 2026 and indicated it’s a boy, alongside photos of a family gender reveal cake with blue filling.
- The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ official social media accounts publicly congratulated the couple and welcomed the “newest Mayfield” to their “Krewe,” confirming the pregnancy and timing.
- In a recent media session with Tampa reporters, captured on video and circulated online, Baker Mayfield discussed the pregnancy, joked that he’ll have a “little s***head” on his hands, and said he’d support his son in whatever he wants to do, including whether or not to play football.
- The couple welcomed their daughter, Kova Jade, in April 2024 and have been married since 2019, a timeline they’ve both referenced in past interviews and posts.
Unverified / General Buzz:
- Any guesses about what position their son might play someday, or whether he’ll follow Baker into the NFL, are pure speculation at this point. Baker’s only on record saying he’ll encourage the kid to pursue what he loves.
Backstory (For Casual Readers)
If you only know Baker Mayfield as “that quarterback who used to be in all the commercials,” here’s the quick refresher. He was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, bounced through a few teams, and has been starting for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the same franchise that rode the Tom Brady wave not that long ago. Emily, a blogger and influencer, has been by his side since before the big paydays. They met through friends, married in 2019, and became first-time parents in 2024 with baby Kova – turning Baker from franchise face into full-on girl dad.
What’s Next
In the short term, Baker has slightly less adorable things to focus on, like trying to win football games. He’s expected to be under center when the Bucs face the Los Angeles Rams in a primetime Sunday night matchup, though he’s been listed as limited in practice while fighting off an illness. Welcome to the glamorous life: game prep, cold medicine, and nursery planning.
For the Mayfields, the real “season” starts next spring. Two kids under two while juggling an NFL schedule is no joke. Away games, time-zone changes, and newborn sleep patterns do not play nicely together. But if Baker meant what he said about encouraging his kids to follow their own paths, we’re watching a new kind of football dad take shape in real time – less dictator, more guide.
And somewhere down the line, if that “little s***head” grows up and decides he hates football and loves, say, musical theater instead? From the way Baker’s talking now, it sounds like he’ll be in the front row either way.
Sources: Emily Mayfield social media announcement (November 2025); Tampa Bay Buccaneers official social media congratulations post (November 2025); Baker Mayfield media availability with Tampa Bay reporters, circulated online (November 2025).
Your turn: Do you think Baker’s “do whatever you want, kid” approach to football is the healthy new normal for sports parents, or should athletes still be steering their children toward (or away from) their own high-risk careers?
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