Brittany Mahomes and the NFL’s Leading Ladies Take Over Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Cover, Championing Empowerment and WAG Solidarity Beyond the Gridiron
Some of the most famous NFL WAGs had their own draft day with Sports Illustrated Swimsuit.
The iconic brand unveiled the February 2026 digital SI Swimsuit Issue cover, which includes Brittany Mahomes, Normani, Haley Cavinder, Ronika Love, Claire Kittle and Christen Goff, on Thursday.
The group looked stunning, modeling different black swimsuits on the cover ahead of Super Bowl 2026 between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots on Sunday.
The women also posed in sultry swimwear at the South Seas resort in Fort Myers, Fla., for their individual covers taken by photographer Katherine Goguen.
“We drafted our ‘SI Swimsuit Digital Cover Stars’ and the results are in,” SI Swimsuit wrote, including a video showing the women introducing themselves, on Thursday.
Brittany Mahomes for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit February 2026 digital covers.
“Brittany Mahomes, mom of three,” said the wife of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who is a former professional soccer player turned certified personal trainer.
“Normani, 10 times platinum, no school needed,” the singer, who’s engaged to Steelers wideout DK Metcalf, said.
Claire Kittle for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit February 2026 digital covers.
“Haley Cavinder, straight from the U,” the former Miami Hurricanes guard, who’s set to tie the knot with Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson this summer, said.
“Claire Kittle, fifth-year senior, Tight End University,” the wife of 49ers star George Kittle said — a nod to the tight end program he co-founded with Travis Kelce and Greg Olsen in 2021.
Christen Goff for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit February 2026 digital covers.
Haley Cavinder for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit February 2026 digital covers.
“Ronika Love, certified lover girl University,” said the wife of Packers quarterback Jordan Love.
Goff returns for her seventh SI Swimsuit shoot, while this is Round 2 for Mahomes, who was named a SI Swimsuit rookie in 2024.
Cavinder poses in a cowboy hat for the new digital cover shoot after she walked in the 2024 SI Swimsuit runway show at Miami Swim Week with her twin sister, Hanna.
The women each weighed in on their definition of a WAG, which is a popular term for the wives and girlfriends of professional athletes — saying it “definitely needs to be redefined” and uplifted.
Normani for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit February 2026 digital covers.
“I think being the significant other to an NFL player is an incredibly hard role, and we take on a lot of important stuff behind the scenes that people don’t get to see,” Mahomes said. “But we also get to enjoy life and do things that we love, too.”
Goff explained, “I feel like [the word] WAG has gotten such a bad rap over the years.
“I think there are so many women who are kind of changing that word and doing great things in their communities and their own brands. I just think being a WAG is so much more than being the wife of a football player. Getting to do the cover shoot with fellow women who are in the NFL with me is going to be just so special and fun. It’s kind of just like tying all my worlds together: Sports Illustrated and football.”
Ronika Love for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit February 2026 digital covers.
Ronika, a three-year pro volleyball player with the San Diego Mojo, explained that “it was hard” being referred to as a WAG and not an athlete.
“It was hard for me to never be referred to as an athlete myself. I’m super competitive, so for people to call me [a WAG], I’m like, ‘Oh, like, he is a husband and boyfriend, as well. He’s a HAB,’” said Love, who’s expecting a baby girl this spring.
“They immediately put women into these boxes of just being the plus one and not having anything for themselves and only getting credit for their life and their accomplishments because of their husband. At first, it used to bother me, and now, we’ve been together almost six years, and I’ve grown up a lot through it. I always wanted to be on Sports Illustrated—never imagined it was going to be pregnant.”
Still, the beauty of this timing isn’t lost on Love: “I think there’s so much power in being a woman and growing a human, but like, looking sexy on the beach.”
Cavinder explained that she’s chasing her dreams after retiring from basketball after the 2025 college season to focus on building her brand.
“What I realized this year when I stopped playing basketball and built my own brand is that you can support someone and be their number one fan, but also stay true to yourself and chase your dreams —that’s what WAG means to me,” she said.
Kittle gushed over her opportunity with SI after her husband was on the cover in 2015 during his playing days at Iowa.
“In college, my husband was on the cover of Sports Illustrated for football. So now, I get to have one, too,” she said.
The former University of Iowa basketball player added, “I mean, at the end of the day, [WAG] is just a shortened word to describe a group of people, right? I think all of us do a good job representing ourselves, representing our husbands and representing the NFL in general.
“I think that’s really how you change the narrative around something: leading by example. Words can mean whatever, but you have to take action.”
