5 Christian NFL Players to Cheer On This Season
By Movieguide® Contributor
The 2023-2024 NFL season kicks off in just 38 days, and fans are ready to cheer on their favorite teams as the top athletes compete for a spot in the Super Bowl.
However, it’s about more than the Super Bowl for these five athletes. For them, it’s about bringing glory to God and finding their identity in Him.
1. Russell Wilson played his first 10 seasons as a quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks in the NFL. Now, he will play second season for the Denver Broncos.
Wilson previously won Superbowl XLVIII and is also a 9-time pro bowl player.
In March, Wilson and his wife, Ciara led a worship service for a prison ministry called God Behind Bars.
Movieguide® previously reported:
“Russell Wilson also posted about the event, writing, “Lord there’s nothing better than YOU!!! Over 300 Maximum Prison Inmates worshipping Jesus! His Grace and Spirit is overwhelming in the midst of mistakes He still loves and forgives.”
“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him,” Wilson added, quoting John 3:17.
Wilson recently shared a photo of him on the field. He wrote, “Dialed In. Almost That Time ??.”
2. Derek Carr is a quarterback who the Las Vegas Raiders drafted in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft. However, the four-time pro bowler will make his debut with the New Orleans Saints this season.
In a press conference following his trade to the Saints, Carr said, “I’m not gonna sit up here and throw Bibles at everybody, but I do have faith and I do believe. That’s how we raise our children, and that’s what the basis of our marriage is on. I love my wife because of the way that I am loved and how I learned that love.”
In an Instagram photo, he wrote, “Year 10. No matter what… just keep working!!”
3. Harrison Butker, the placekicker for the Kansas City Chiefs, is known for his strong Christian faith. Like many other professional athletes, Butker has been open about his beliefs and has spoken publicly about the role his faith plays in his life and career.
Butker said, “I want to be a saint. And that’s the most important thing, and that’s why I’m here on this earth.”
“I’m not just making kicks so that I can make money and I can puff myself up as this great person that people want to be like one day,” he added. “I’m making kicks because God wants me to have a platform, at least for right now, to share this message of faith, of growing in virtue, of growing closer to the sacraments and of being a saint.”
4. Jalen Hurts, quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles, led his team to the Super Bowl last season but came up short in the last minutes of the game.
Hurts shared a photo of him kneeling and praying on the field. He wrote, “He Who Kneels Before God, Can Stand Before Any Man #BREEDOF1.”
During a press conference at Super Bowl LVII, Hurts revealed how he embraces all the fame and fortune that comes with playing in the Super Bowl.
“How do I embrace it? Just about me being me. Me being who God called me to be. I truly try to focus on the things I can control, not the things that I can’t control,” Hurts said.
Hurts then shared his favorite verse, John 13:7.
Hurts said, “A Scripture I land on heavily is John 13:7, ‘You may not know now but later you’ll understand.’ That verse reminds me to continue to be patient, continue to remain diligent and steadfast, keep going. Keep your eyes on Me [God] and Keep God at the center regardless of what the circumstance is.”
5. Cooper Kupp is a Wide Receiver for the Los Angeles Rams. Kupp will be heading into his seventh season in the NFL, and he is beyond excited to get back to work.
Kupp shared on his Instagram following the end of last season, “As in life, sometimes reality falls short of expectations. You reap what you sow, and I believe that. But just because the harvest doesn’t look like you wanted, it doesn’t mean there isn’t something special about the process, and even still in the fruit.”
“Thankful for the journey alongside great teammates, coaches, and staff. Thankful for the people that love this game and make it so much fun to play every week. Appreciate my family beyond words. They offer me so much more than just perspective and balance, but unconditional love that brings me to my knees every day,” he added.
Kupp concluded, “Chop wood, carry water… Onwards to the threshing floor…and to next season!”
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