Who Is Baker Mayfield’s Wife, Emily Wilkinson?

Baker Mayfield isn’t just an NFL quarterback — he’s also a husband to his wife, Emily Wilkinson.

The couple first met in 2017 after they were introduced by a mutual friend, per ESPN. Six months later, they got engaged and married in July 2019. Mayfield and Wilkinson went on to welcome their first child, daughter Kova Jade Mayfield, in April 2024.

The NFL quarterback has had a whirlwind career. The former Cleveland Browns player, who was drafted first overall by the team in 2018, was traded to the Carolina Panthers in July 2022 after the Browns acquired Deshaun Watson to fill the starting quarterback position.

After struggling early in the season with the Panthers and suffering an injury, Mayfield was released by the team — and quickly picked up on waivers by the Los Angeles Rams. He now plays for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

So who is Baker Mayfield’s wife? Here’s everything to know about Emily Wilkinson and her relationship with the NFL player.

She’s from Nebraska

Wilkinson was born in Nebraska in 1991. She remained in the state through college, attending the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where she graduated with a degree in business administration in 2013.

After graduation, Wilkinson headed to L.A., where she worked as a patient coordinator at a plastic surgeon’s office. Per TMZ, she left her job at Galanis Plastic Surgery in 2018 to move to Cleveland with Mayfield after he was drafted by the Browns.

She’s an influencer

Mayfield is not the only one with a high-profile job. Wilkinson has fostered a successful career of her own after building up a following on Instagram. She has more than 224,000 followers and regularly shares updates with fans about her travels, workouts and life with Mayfield.

She met Mayfield in 2017 through a mutual friend

A friend of both Mayfield and Wilkinson knew the pair would be perfect for each other, and had been trying to set them up for months. However, as the couple told Brides, it was a chance encounter on FaceTime that finally brought them together.

Back when Mayfield was the quarterback for the University of Oklahoma, he was FaceTiming his brother after a game when he spotted a face he didn’t recognize among those who had gathered to watch him play.

“He put two and two together and realized I was the girl our friend had been trying to set him up with all that time!” Wilkinson explained.

She initially thought Mayfield was “the typical playboy athlete”

After realizing who Wilkinson was, Mayfield set out to get her attention. The athlete repeatedly followed and unfollowed her on Instagram to catch her eye.

A few months later, Mayfield invited Wilkinson to come watch him play in the Rose Bowl. “I was assuming he’d be the typical playboy athlete,” she later told ESPN.

However, Wilkinson agreed to get lunch with him the day before the Rose Bowl, though she expected him to just talk about the big game the entire time. Instead, Mayfield surprised her by asking questions about her life and future plans.

Just three days later, the pair were smitten, and Mayfield moved in with Wilkinson and her brothers in L.A. “We haven’t really been apart since,” she told Brides. “It was love at first sight!”

She and Mayfield got engaged after six months of dating

The pair got serious soon after getting together. Within six months, Mayfield was ready to propose and knew just the way to do it.

The quarterback was filming a docuseries at the time and asked Wilkinson to plan a wrap party with their family and friends. The couple then sat down for a final interview for the series, during which time Mayfield surprised her with a proposal.

“They asked Baker to talk about how we met, which turned into the perfect set-up for him to propose!” Wilkinson recalled to Brides.

She and Mayfield got married in July 2019

When it came time to plan their nuptials, the couple only looked at one venue before choosing the perfect spot: Calamigos Ranch in Malibu.

“I’m from Nebraska and Baker is from Texas, so we both really love the outdoors,” Wilkinson told Brides.

After a year of planning, Wilkinson and Mayfield said “I do” in front of 350 guests on July 6, 2019. A few of Mayfield’s NFL colleagues were in attendance, including running back Saquon Barkley and Odell Beckham Jr.

One year after their big day, Mayfield celebrated their first anniversary with a sweet tribute to Wilkinson.

“Happy 1st Anniversary to my lovely wife @emilywmayfield,” he wrote on Instagram next to a photo of the duo dancing at their wedding. “Throughout all the ups and downs…. you are always there to support me and I am so grateful for that, and to be a part of your life. Can’t wait to laugh and dance with you on this adventure for all the years to come!”

She and Mayfield welcomed their first child in April 2024

The couple’s daughter, Kova Jade Mayfield, arrived on April 9, 2024.

“She is truly everything we prayed for, and more,” Wilkinson wrote on Instagram. “Daddy is so smitten, and Mama wants to pause time forever & make these days last forever.”

In December 2023, Mayfield and Wilkinson announced their pregnancy on Instagram by sharing photos from a maternity shoot. They displayed their first ultrasound photos and their dog, Fergus, wore a “big brother” bandana.

She’s appeared in commercials with Mayfield

Mayfield was famously a spokesperson for Progressive Insurance during his time with the Browns. The quarterback starred in a series of commercials for the company, aptly titled “At Home With Baker Mayfield,” that followed him as he tended to the Browns’ stadium as if it were his home.

Wilkinson joined her husband for several spots, which saw the couple brushing their teeth in the stadium bathrooms, lounging in bed in the locker room and choosing a comically small doormat for their oversized home.