10 Most Controversial NFL WAGs Making Headlines in 2025, ft Taylor Swift

Much to the irritation of NFL purists, the league is no longer defined solely by what happens on the field. Social media has transformed players into cultural icons, and with that spotlight comes an unavoidable ripple effect: their partners are now public figures, for example, Taylor Swift and more. And when the cameras follow, so does the criticism.

From political dust-ups and resurfaced tweets to messy online feuds and viral controversies, today’s NFL WAGs face more public pressure than ever before. Fair or not, every post, every comment, and every appearance becomes part of the never-ending news cycle.

Some of the women on this list are headline regulars. Others might genuinely surprise you. But what they all share is the ability, intentional or not, to spark some serious conversation across the NFL landscape in 2025.

So with that said, let’s dive into the 10 most controversial NFL WAGs in the game right now.

Who are the most controversial NFL WAGs in 2025?

Leanna Lenee

This might be the most viral WAG story of the entire year in the NFL.

And it all started at the Heisman Trophy ceremony.

When Travis Hunter’s name was called as the winner of college football’s most prestigious award back in December, the cameras caught his then-fiancée Leanna Lenee sitting down while everyone else stood to celebrate until Coach Prime motioned for her to stand.

Which promptly resulted in the internet doing what it does and losing its mind.

And draft night was just the beginning. In the time since, fans have gone full P.I. and have found plenty to talk about.

Like the dollar sign tattoo on her ring finger, I immediately called it a red flag. Then came the wedding footage where she appeared to dodge Hunter’s kiss during their first dance. Gold digger, user, clout chaser… the accusations piled up so quickly that both she and Travis ended up deactivating their social media accounts entirely.

Then things took an unexpected turn. Leanna posted a tearful video defending herself and dropped a bombshell in the process… she claimed Hunter had cheated on her in the past. She also revealed he had slid into her DMs while he still had another girlfriend listed in his bio. 

In August, false divorce rumours spread, claiming she was demanding $40 million from the rookie. Apparently, it was completely fabricated, but the damage to her reputation was already done.

Now, we don’t know what’s really going on behind closed doors here. But the court of public opinion has made up its mind.

Cardi B

This one’s been a rollercoaster from day one. Cardi B and Stefon Diggs went public with their relationship in May 2025. By September, she announced she was pregnant with his baby. 

Sadly, this love story has allegedly been anything but a fairytale.

During her pregnancy, multiple women came forward alleging Diggs had gotten them pregnant, too. Paternity accusations, cheating rumours… the whole mess. At one point, Cardi reportedly moved out of their home while still pregnant. She wiped a couple of photos from Instagram, and fans were convinced the relationship was over for good.

Her ex-husband Offset threw shots too, calling her out on social media in since-deleted posts. Cardi fired back, and suddenly it became this whole public spectacle that had nothing to do with football.

The couple has bounced back and forth so many times at this point. Nobody really knows where they stand week to week. One day, they’re posting flirty comments under each other’s photos, the next, there’s breakup speculation all over the timeline. 

Cardi and Diggs are the definition of “it’s complicated”… and if we know anything about these two, the pregnancy scandal is just the tip of the iceberg. There will be more drama in no time from these NFL WAGs. I mean, we all remember the Patriots’ star receiver’s boating adventures from this summer while the rest of his team was hitting the practice field!

Taylor Swift

The issue isn’t that Taylor Swift really hasn’t done anything wrong here. It’s that the obsession around her relationship has gotten so intense that cultural critics are now questioning whether this level of emotional investment in celebrities is actually healthy. 

When Swift and Travis Kelce started dating, brands came rushing in and that capitalist instinct only multiplied following their engagement announcement.

It isn’t just the ecosystem they spawned, either. A big part was the ire she drew from hardcore football fans sick of the way the NFL was leaning into the whole thing.

And then there’s the whole political situation with Brittany Mahomes. You’ve got Taylor on one side endorsing Kamala Harris, and Brittany on the other side liking Trump posts. Suddenly, their friendship became a whole national conversation. 

Taylor Swift is one of the most famous WAGs in NFL history, and there’s really no debate about that. She blew way past the rest of these ladies before she even knew who Kelce was! 

But that level of fame brings its own unique set of problems that has put her firmly on this list.

Anna Congdon

The timing on this one couldn’t have been worse if they had planned it that way.

Saquon Barkley and his girlfriend Anna Congdon announced their engagement in early February, just days before the Eagles played in the Super Bowl. It should’ve been a feel-good story to kick off championship week… instead, it turned into a full-blown scandal.

Almost immediately, people started digging through Anna’s social media history and found old tweets she had posted as a teenager. 

The response from social media was swift and unforgiving from the outspoken minority. People called her racist and questioned Barkley’s judgment for being with her. Fans pointed out that they have two Black children together. Anna locked her social media accounts and deleted the tweets, but by then, screenshots were everywhere.

She eventually issued an apology, stating that the words didn’t reflect who she is today and that she has learned and grown since then. Fortunately, Barkley defended her publicly.

Of course, there were plenty of fans willing to give her grace since she was a teenager when the incident took place, but the more cynical segment of the internet population wasn’t having it… not that that should surprise anyone at this point. 

Brittany Mahomes

If there’s a queen of NFL WAG controversy… It’s Brittany Mahomes. And honestly, it’s not even close at this point. I mean, she literally had the President calling her “phenomenal” and said he liked her “much better” than Taylor.

But let’s put the political angle aside—because that whole “story”, if you want to call it that, is its own beast… and it is really just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Brittany.

Most recently, it was the GoFundMe “scandal” if you want to call it that resulted in a slew of people calling her tone-deaf for asking regular fans to chip in when she could’ve just handled it herself without even noticing the money was gone.

She’s also been criticised for constantly blasting referees on social media after calls don’t go the Chiefs’ way, for her outfit choices and behaviour at games, and for defending her brother-in-law Jackson after his assault charges became public. 

It is hard not to feel like Brittany Mahomes is polarising on purpose at this point. It’s become her whole brand. She doesn’t apologise, she doesn’t back down, and she clearly doesn’t care what anyone thinks about it. 

Simone Biles

Simone Biles is arguably the greatest athlete of her generation in any sport… and somehow every single time her name comes up in the news, there’s some kind of noise attached to it now.

The GOAT of gymnastics can’t seem to escape the online criticism, no matter what she does. And a lot of it stems from her husband, Jonathan Owens.

It started back in 2023 when Owens said on a podcast that he was “the catch” in their relationship. The internet erupted over that one. People couldn’t believe he’d actually say that about the most decorated gymnast of all time—even if it was probably tongue-in-cheek. 

Simone defended him and explained the context, but the damage to his public image still ran with it.

Then there was her Twitter showdown with Riley Gaines this past summer…

And the whole ordeal after Owens posted pictures of himself wearing her medals, which, admittedly, is a crazy thing to have to defend…

But that is where they are at. Everything this couple does is meticulously combed over.

It doesn’t help matters that Owens has struggled during his limited time on the field of late, leading to some Bears fans openly calling for him to be cut from the roster.

Olivia Culpo

Olivia Culpo’s wedding to Christian McCaffrey was supposed to be the fairy tale moment that everyone talked about for the right reasons. Instead, it became a TikTok takedown that she’s still dealing with months later.

In her interview with Vogue about the ceremony, Culpo said she wanted a dress that “didn’t exude sex in any way, shape or form.

Critics were quick to point out that her entire Instagram presence tells a completely different story, as she’s a former Miss Universe who regularly posts swimsuit content and form-fitting outfits that are designed to get attention. 

So when she started preaching modesty for her wedding, people called it performative, which… is somewhat understandable once you see her after-party dress. 

Culpo tried to clarify her comments after the backlash started, saying her words were “spun out of context” by the media. But the narrative had already taken hold at that point, and there was no walking it back. 

She’s certainly not the first celebrity to get called out for perceived hypocrisy. But when you’re an NFL WAG with millions of followers watching your every move, everything gets magnified tenfold, and there’s nowhere to hide.

Sydney Warner

Back in March, Fred Warner’s wife, Sydney, posted a seemingly innocuous Instagram story of her morning coffee with the caption “The happiest of Mondays.” 

A few hours later, she followed that up with a Diet Coke post captioned “And the day just keeps getting better… celebratory Diet Coke,” with rather cheerful background music.

Still… not an obvious red flag. It just so happened to take place right after the 49ers released fullback Kyle Juszczyk, Warner’s longtime teammate.

Fans immediately connected the dots, and the speculation started flying. Kristin Juszczyk, Olivia Culpo, and Claire Kittle are all regularly photographed together at games and events throughout the season. Sydney Warner? She’s conspicuously absent from all of those photos. 

Some people pointed to political differences as the potential cause of the divide. However, none of the NFL WAGs involved have ever confirmed anything publicly. Others chalk it up to simple personality clashes that happen in any social circle.

The Bachelor alum clearly knows how to stir the pot without actually saying a word.

Ciara

Russell Wilson and Ciara have been called many things over the years… “corny” is one of the nicer criticisms they’ve received. But in 2025, the narrative around them shifted to something more pointed: fame chasing.

When Wilson signed with the Giants on a one-year deal this offseason, media members openly questioned whether the move was really about football or whether it was more about accessing the New York market. 

Then came the birthday party that really got people talking. 

After the Giants lost 22 to 9 to the Chiefs in Week 3, Wilson threw a surprise 40th birthday bash for Ciara with several of his teammates in attendance. The optics on that one weren’t great. Celebrating right after a loss, drawing attention to themselves instead of focusing on the team’s struggles. Wilson got benched in favour of rookie Jaxson Dart the following week, which only made the party look worse in hindsight.

Ciara also went on “The Breakfast Club” and pushed back pretty hard on people calling Russell “corny.” She defended him as a great husband and father who gets unfairly criticised. But to some listeners, that interview just confirmed all the criticism they already had about the couple.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with a couple being public about their relationship and celebrating each other. But when your husband keeps getting benched and his team is sitting well below .500, maybe save the party for the offseason.

Brittani

And finally… the one that nobody has ever actually seen.

Aaron Rodgers announced in June 2025 that he had secretly gotten married earlier in the year. The woman’s name is reportedly Brittani. That’s about all anyone knows about her.

No one has met her in person. Not his teammates on the Steelers, not their wives and girlfriends, not even his own family members. Steelers WAGs have reportedly started calling her a “phantom” because she’s never around. 

Rodgers hasn’t been photographed with her in public a single time since announcing the marriage—in fact, people are even having a hard time digging up the marriage license. However, there is reason to question if he even believes in those sorts of things anymore! 

At this point, fans are genuinely split on whether she even exists at all or if it is just more weird behaviour from the future Hall of Famer.

Rodgers has defended her desire for privacy in interviews and called her an incredible wife, but the whole mystery around this situation is bizarre by any measure. Some fans think he’s just being protective of someone who genuinely wants to stay private. Others think he’s lying about being married altogether, and there is no Brittani. 

Whether Brittani is real or not, this is one of the stranger NFL WAG stories in recent memory and until she actually shows up somewhere in public, the speculation isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.