17 of the NFL’s best dads

You notice it when the air changes, or when your husband’s attire goes from T-shirts to jerseys. Football season is here. What better way to celebrate the start of the season than with some awesome NFL dads? Here are some of the best that are playing the game today. Get your aww’s ready.

 

1. Drew Brees

One of the best quarterbacks of our generation, Brees continues to break records and melt hearts. When the New Orleans Saints won the Super Bowl in 2010, Brees celebrated with his young son, Baylen, on the field. Brees has three sons and as of Tuesday, a baby girl, with wife Brittany.

 

2. Dez Bryant

It’s hard to find a more adorable Instagram of a football dad than Dallas Cowboys’ wide receiver Dez Bryant. Father of two sons, Bryant often includes his children in his football life and has expressed his love. “I’ve got two babies and that’s the only thing that matters,” he told the Dallas Morning News in 2012.

 

3. Peyton Manning

Peyton and wife Ashley have 3-year-old twins, a boy and a girl, who mostly stay out of the spotlight. But then there’s this video of Denver Broncos quarterback being tackled by them and I’ve officially decided to offer my babysitting services.

 

4. DeMarcus Ware

The Denver Broncos defensive end and former wife Taniqua always wanted children, but with two miscarriages and one stillbirth in 2006, the couple struggled with pregnancy. Not giving up on their family, they adopted a daughter and eventually gave birth to a son, DeMarcus Jr., in 2010.

 

5. Brandon Fields

His twitter bio starts off with “proud father.” You can’t get better than that from the Miami Dolphins punter.

Happy Mother’s Day to @k2fields and all the other moms out there! pic.twitter.com/aWdsp4fuhw

— Brandon Fields (@b_fields2) May 11, 2014

 

6. Reggie Bush

Some would rather remember the Detroit Lions running back for his relationship with Kim Kardashian, but I’d like to remember him as an awesome dad.

   

 

7. Philip Rivers

The San Diego Chargers quarterback once admitted his system: “It’s a two-year rotation: Once the diapers come off of one, we usually have a newborn.” Rivers and his wife, Tiffany, have seven kids: five girls and two boys.

Flickr/ San Diego Shooter    

 

8. Jamaal Charles

It’s difficult to picture star running backs playing today and not mention this Kansas City Chief. But he’s also a star off the field to his two daughters.

   

 

9. Tom Brady

When you’re married to a super model, your kids are bound to be plastered across the Internet. The New England Patriots quarterback is papa to two boys and one girl, the eldest from before his marriage to wife Gisele Bündchen.

   

 

10. Matt Forte

This Chicago Bears running back and his wife Danielle welcomed daughter Nala in 2013 and it seems she has a future in horseback riding.

   

 

11. Andy Dalton

Thank you to the Cincinnati Bengals quarterback for carrying on the ginger tradition with your son, Noah. Fingers crossed he’s got your head of hair.

   

 

12. Maurice Jones-Drew

This Oakland Raiders running back, formerly of the Jacksonville Jaguars, is father to two sons—one of whom is awesomely named Madden—and a daughter.

Flickr/PDA.PHOTO      

 

13. Tony Romo

Arlington’s star has some of his own. The Dallas Cowboys quarterback and his wife, former Miss Missouri USA Candice Crawford, welcomed son Hawkins in 2012 and son Rivers this past March.

And here is the full family shot! Tony says “that’s all he’s got!” #anotherpicfrom9 #dfwsp pic.twitter.com/NJb3SoBESy — steve dennis (@stevenwdennis) March 19, 2014

 

14. Philip Wheeler

Earlier this year, the Miami Dolphins linebacker supported his girlfriend’s public breastfeeding on Instagram. The couple welcomed their son last December.

 

15. Charles Tillman

The Chicago Bears cornerback and his wife, Jackie, have three daughters and a son. Tillman started the Cornerstone Foundation after discovering their three-month-old daughter was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy in 2008.

Forget the cartoons on a Saturday morning pops, I want to work out with you! pic.twitter.com/KUHasywC8B

— Charles Tillman (@peanuttillman) May 31, 2014

 

16. Cecil Shorts

The Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver enjoys including his son in his day job. Cecil Shorts IV is clearly a future star.

 

17. Kroy Biermann

Maybe K-named people just like to pass on the good juju? Atlanta Falcons defensive end has six (!!) children—four of them under the age of 4: Kroy Jr., Kash, and twins Kaia and Kane. Biermann and the Falcons are featured on this year’s Hard Knocks on HBO.

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