Derek Carr consistently captivates the public eye with his spectacular performances on the gridiron. As the quarterback for the New Orleans Saints, his distinguished career leaves a lasting legacy in the NFL realm. However, during the offseason, football enthusiasts are equally interested in learning about the personal support system behind their favorite athlete. His wife, Heather Neel, has a hand in the four-time Pro Bowler’s success, both on and off the field.

She consistently encourages her NFL husband in all aspects of his career, providing noteworthy support to the quarterback. During an interview with ABC30, QB’s wife provided insights into her healthy relationship with the former Las Vegas Raiders QB, Derek Carr, stating, “Just making sure he always knows that I’m here to encourage him, support him, do I need to do anything for you.”

Who is Derek Carr’s Wife Heather Neel and how the duo met?

Heather Ashley Neel, a native of Fresno, California, celebrates her birthday on January 3rd. She was born in 1990 to parents Bryan and Vicki Neel. She is a social media influencer and model with 59K followers. She frequently attracts attention for being a huge supporter of her NFL husband. She has taken her early education from Christian High School in Fresno, California, United States. Later on, she attended California State University, Fresno for her graduation. At that time her future husband was also a student-athlete and was busy adding accolades to his NCAA career.

However, the couple did not cross their paths during college time.  Although, Heather Neel cheered for Fresno Christian in high school and Fresno State in college as a cheerleader. According to an interview with Heather on ABC7, Derek’s better half spilled the tea over her first-ever meeting with the Sammy Baugh Trophy winner.

She acclaimed that MWC Champion first laid his eyes on her when Saints quarterbacks visited the restaurant, BJ’s Restaurants during his sophomore year, in California where she worked as a waitress. Since then, the romance between the couple sparked up, and they started dating each other.

A few years later, the dynamic duo decided to exchange wedding vows. In June 2012, they tied the knot sharing a strong yet captivating relationship. Moreover, they are parents to their 3 sons and 1 daughter named, Dallas, Deker, Deakon, and Brooklyn Mae respectively, beautifully embracing the parenting role.

The wholesome relationship between the Carr couple

Their Instagram playbook, from QB’s major moment on the field to their personal celebrations including their anniversary and kids’ birthday occasions is a full display of the power couple’s happy married life and strong bond. Heather shared the carousel of images on their 10 marriage anniversary, cherishing the 10th year of togetherness with her NFL hubby.

Taking to her official Instagram account, she expressed her unconditional love for her husband, with a heartfelt note. She captioned the post, “Celebrated 10 years of being married to my best friend! You are more than I could’ve ever dreamed or imagined. I love you.”

Recently, Neel also captured attention with her son Deakon’s 5 birthday celebration post. Showcasing the beautiful relationship they have with their kids, Heather posted a picture montage, featuring the lively and special moments with the young ones. “Happy 5th Birthday Deakon! We love you! You always keep us laughing and on our toes! You’re such a gift to us all,” she captioned the post.

As parents, they have seen a lot of ups and downs in their lives, guiding their philanthropist spirits and actively investing in fundraisers for needy children.

Sharing philanthropist aspirations alongside her NFL husband

The couple’s eldest child was born with intestinal malrotation, a rare disorder in which an infant’s intestines become intertwined. Thus, Derek Carr’s and Heather Neel’s son had to undergo 3 emergency surgeries. And that moment, the couple could be seen feeling helpless.

During an interview with the NFL in  2014, Derek took to divulge his pain about Dallas’ back-to-back surgeries. “I ran up the ramp bawling my eyes out because I couldn’t do anything to help my son but pray for him. There was a lot of emotion going through all of that and I get choked up talking about it now, but he’s doing great now and he has no problems,” Derek said.

Hence, Derek and his wife both decided to help needy children with intestinal malrotation, through the charitable organization. The couple established the DC4KIDS Touchdown Challenge to generate funds for the hospital through the Valley Children’s Healthcare Foundation.

During an interview with ABC30, Heather Neel disclosed about giving back to the community, asserting  “With going into the NFL, we wanted to give back and in the NFL, you get to pick your cause and so that was always our cause was Valley Children’s.” Together the lovely pair display a full commitment to helping the children in need.