Dating in the Instagram age is a different game.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield has been married to his wife, Emily Wilkinson, since 2019. But it turns out it took him quite a while – and some unconventional tactics – to get his future wife’s attention.
The two were introduced by a mutual friend back in 2017, Mayfield’s final year at Oklahoma – the same year he won the Heisman Trophy and led his team to the Big 12 championship and an appearance in the Rose Bowl.
But during an interview with ESPN, Wilkinson admitted that she was reluctant to give the QB a shot, thinking that he would just be some “punk football player.”
“I was assuming he’d be the typical playboy athlete.”
And let’s be honest, based on Baker’s reputation in college, she was probably fair for assuming that. He had already had to apologize several times for his actions at Oklahoma, including an incident when he grabbed his crotch and said “F*ck you” to an opposing coach during a game against Kansas.
Wilkinson initially denied Baker’s advances, but the QB was persistent – and started following and unfollowing her on Instagram to get her attention.
Well she finally gave in and agreed to get lunch with Mayfield the day before the Rose Bowl – where he Oklahoma Sooners would fall to the Georgia Bulldogs.
And after the game, Mayfield messaged Wilkinson again to let her know that he would be staying in Los Angeles.
From there, things moved quickly: Three days later, he moved in with her and her brothers. And six months later, the couple was engaged.
Baker’s persistence definitely paid off. The couple announced last month that they’re expecting their first child this year, and Wilkinson admitted that she was wrong about her first impressions:
“He’s such a softy. He’s a mama’s boy.”
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