Matthew Stafford and his wife, Kelly, met back in college—he was the rising star quarterback for the Georgia Bulldogs, and she was the charming cheerleader on the sidelines. Their relationship began with a bit of playful back-and-forth before they made things official in 2009.
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After years of dating, they got engaged in March 2014 and tied the knot the following year. Now, a decade later, they’re not just husband and wife—they’re proud parents of four daughters.
Kelly, known for wearing her heart on her sleeve, gave Matthew a deeply personal gift for the special occasion: a four-page handwritten letter expressing her love and gratitude. But that wasn’t all. She also created a custom-made book filled with their 100 favorite sayings and inside jokes from the past decade, each one paired with a photo that captured a meaningful moment they’d shared.
So what did Matthew give her in return? Known for mastering Sean McVay’s complex playbook on the field, he kept it beautifully simple when it came to showing love off the field. He gifted Kelly a brand-new ring—elegant, understated, and deeply symbolic of their enduring bond. He made the moment truly special by the way he presented it.
While the couple was having breakfast in the kitchen on the morning of their anniversary, Matthew handed Kelly a bag. Just as she began to open it, he stopped her, pulled out a small box, got down on one knee, and offered her the ring with a heartfelt declaration of love and commitment.
For years, Kelly Stafford hadn’t worn her original ring—it was too large and impractical for a hands-on mom of four. Instead, she’d been wearing a simple wedding band. But now, with her new, smaller, more practical ring, it’s something she planned to wear every day.
That’s why what happened next was a bit of a panic moment—on her way to the airport from her sister’s house, she suddenly realized she wasn’t wearing her new ring.
Kelly didn’t panic—at least not at first. She was fairly certain she hadn’t lost the ring, just misplaced it. Thinking she might’ve left it at her sister’s house, she quickly called to check. But her sister didn’t exactly calm her nerves when she said the ring wasn’t there. It was early in the morning, and the worry started to creep in.
Thankfully, after some frantic digging through her bags, Kelly found the ring tucked away and slid it back on her finger with a sigh of relief. Matthew wasn’t with her at the time—he was home with the kids—so she figured there was no need to worry him over a brief moment of panic. She decided to keep the incident to herself. Unfortunately for Kelly, secrets don’t last long in a house full of kids.
As soon as she got home, one of their daughters spilled the beans, gleefully telling Matthew that Mom forgot her brand-new ring. Kelly watched her daughter throw her under the bus and exaggerate the story, claiming she had lost the ring multiple times.
The incident didn’t exactly amuse Matthew. He looked at Kelly, scratching his head, probably wondering how she’d already managed to misplace a ring that was barely a few days old. To make matters worse, they hadn’t insured it yet. Unfortunately for her, Stafford chose to believe their daughter over her in that instance.
“We get home, and Matthew comes to greet us. One of my daughters decided to let him on what happened. So she goes, “Yeah, but we had to turn around this morning because mom forgot her ring. Matthew then stops and looks at me,” and he was like,’ You already forgot your ring’ Matthew was like Babe. I was like, You’re going to believe a child right now and he was like Yeah,” Kelly said on the podcast.
Kelly Stafford had to gently remind her daughter that she doesn’t have to share everything with Dad. She also admitted that she has a tendency to forget and misplace things—like her phone, wallet, and now, her ring. In fact, it has become a running joke in their house: Mom always forgets something.
Matthew and Kelly’s relationship really is the gift that keeps on giving. She continues to share these heartwarming and relatable stories from their life, and fans can’t get enough of them.
