For Buffalo Bills quarterback Shane Buechele’s wife, Paige Buechele, cheerleading has often come with a cost. Sometimes, mental, but for the most part, it was physical. While pursuing a degree in Journalism and Business at the University of Texas, Buechele would double down as an Orange Squad member. But who knew that would set her up for painful repercussions even years later. 

Just hours ago, a user asked a question during an Instagram Q&A session, “If Buffalo had cheerleading, would you join. LOL, go Bills!!” A harmless query but Paige here decided she’d reveal the parts of the journey where reality resides, stripped off the glitz, the glamor, and the pom poms. She began with a “Hahaha, I am retired.”

“Years of two to fulls and running fulls on turf will do that to ya! I already have pain from arthritis and slightly herniated discs due to so much impact on my back from tumbling… I always giggle on the inside when people try to say cheer isn’t a sport because they obviously don’t understand the full scope of competitive and collegiate cheerleading and don’t care to. So, I’m not wasting my energy explaining it to them,” Paige concluded. But what if she got a chance to join America’s Sweethearts? Well, hear it from her yourself.

“Did you ever try out for DCC…?” the fan question read. Mrs. Buechele’s answer? “OMG I WISH,” along with a laughing and sighing emoji. “I cheered all my life, and the DCC are gorgeous gals are dancers…I really wish I stayed so I could have gone that route. So much respect for them! I just started watching the new season,” the text read, ending with an aptly used blue heart emoji. And while that’s a regret that she will carry for the rest of her life, like the go-getter she is, Paige has chosen to take that energy elsewhere.

Notably, after graduating from college, she started working as a Communications Coordinator for the Dallas Mavericks. Then 2020 brought about another achievement—a Miss Dallas USA Crown, before Buechele finally settled in a career as a licensed realtor in Kansas, Missouri, and Texas. But that’s not all. 

Nowadays, she’s often seen cheering for her husband from the sidelines as he prepares for another season with the Bills. “In this phase of life, preseason [is my favorite season]. Training camp is so fun to go to, especially now that we have a daughter to go watch her daddy play. It’s such an exciting time and an important part of the season for Shane, so I love it,” Paige wrote on Instagram. 

And she’s not wrong. This season could be make-or-break for her husband. After the quarterback was waived by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2023, he had signed a reserve/future contract with the Bills five months later. However, during a 2024 pre-season game vs the Chicago Bears, the 27-year-old sustained a neck injury. The result? 

Getting placed on injury reserve and missing the entirety of the season. But no—the Bills didn’t just give up on him. In January, they re-signed him on a one-year, ‘prove-it’ contract.

So while Paige cheers him on from the stands (or the stroller lane), Shane will be making sure every rep counts, and that his family’s glad.