Being a celebrity doesn’t make love life any easier. Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ quarterback Baker Mayfield knows this all too well. He was rejected quite a few times by his now-wife, Emily Wilkinson, before finally winning her over.

On Monday Night Countdown, Michelle Beisner-Buck joined Baker and Emily Mayfield for a conversation about how the couple first met and what transpired. Mayfield recalled asking their mutual friend, Patrick Hayes, for Emily’s contact number, but she gently refused. The first time the two met each other was back in 2017.

The QB had even resorted to the typical route, which is Instagram, to reach out to Emily. He followed, unfollowed, and followed her again to get her attention, but it was all in vain.

“So, I went to Instagram,” he recalled. “I hit the follow button, no follow back. Hit the unfollow button, hit the follow again, no follow back. Try to slide in the DMs, no response. This point, feeling pretty rejected.”

Finally, after some time, Emily agreed and gave her number to the QB through their cupid friend Patrick. It was during their lunch that Emily began to feel a connection. “So we had lunch,” Emily shared during the interview. “And the entire time he was asking questions about me, about my family. It was not the Baker show.”

And this is when she even had a “gut feeling” and predicted that she would get married to this person. For those who don’t know Emily, she is from Nebraska. After getting her college degree at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2013, she headed to Los Angeles.

The two got married just six months after dating each other in 2019. Back in December 2023, Wilkinson announced that she was pregnant. The couple welcomed their daughter, Kova Jade Mayfield, on April 9, 2024.

But this journey in their lives hasn’t been without struggles. There were ups and downs, and the biggest for the couple came when Mayfield was struggling with his injuries.

Emily Wilkinson recalled Baker Mayfield’s tough period

The year 2022 was a rough patch for the couple. It was tough for the QB. Mayfield recalled that it was tough for him to deal with his shoulder injury and the long process of rehab. He underwent surgery on his torn labrum. This was after Week 17, when the Browns were eliminated from the postseason.

He was placed on injured reserve. Wilkinson recalled feeling the pain deeply. “I think it ended up being the biggest blessing that he had to hit that rock bottom to be honest with you,” Emily said how this pain transformed the QB.

“That’s when he started to find his faith again. That’s when he kind of had to be stripped of everything on the outside.”

She recalled how they had troubles in their relationship too. “Our marriage was failing. I mean, there were so many things failing in his life, really,” she said. “And to watch it was really hard. But now looking back, we can both say our marriage is the best it’s ever been, but we had to learn how to fight through things together.”

At the same time, Mayfield and Emily struggled and were facing difficulties trying to conceive a child. “At this time, we were trying to have kids,” Mayfield recalled. “It wasn’t going well.”

When asked if he would be in the position he is today without Emily by his side, Baker reflected on her impact and presence in his life. “Absolutely not,” Baker said. “I can say that with 100% confidence for her to stay through all the low points and trust the fact that I could find my way back, and she was helping me do that.”

The two have weathered all the storms and trials, and tribulations as they stand as the power couple in the NFL.