For Olivia Culpo, this NFL season arrived with a new title: mom.
The model and television personality and her husband, San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey, welcomed their daughter, Colette, in July — a life shift that quietly reframed everything from game-day routines to what actually mattered most. Sundays, once familiar, suddenly carried new weight.
“It puts things into perspective,” Culpo tells Yahoo. “It’s such a rebirth — it’s a new version of yourself — that has something so important at the forefront.”
What followed was a season measured not by stats, but by moments — early mornings, firsts she’ll never forget and Sundays that moved faster and meant more than the ones before.
Sundays, step by step
Home-game Sundays start early.
“We’re usually leaving three or four hours before kickoff,” Culpo says. “If there’s a 5 p.m. game, we’re out the door by 2 or even 1:30.”
That means the day begins long before football does. “I’m usually waking up around 8 a.m.,” she says. “I get coffee with my mother-in-law — that’s a tradition we have — and then I’m immediately getting myself and my daughter ready.”
This season, there was just a little more to do than preparing sideline looks.
“Now that I have [my daughter], there’s a lot to remember,” Culpo says. “Her stroller, diapers, milk, food. I had to bring my pump when I was breastfeeding, privacy covers, change of clothes, backups for the backups.”
The list keeps growing. “A sound machine because she’ll eventually fall asleep, pajamas, sometimes a sleep sack,” she says. “There was just so much to prep for her. … I would start as soon as the sun was coming up.
Sundays, seen through a new lens
Navigating an NFL season while raising a baby also meant watching McCaffrey step into fatherhood during a career that rarely slows down.
“I’m really glad that Christian has had the opportunity to share those moments as a dad,” she says. “Every player will tell you that those years are so fleeting and go by so quickly.”
Timing matters in the NFL, and Culpo is acutely aware of how rare this window can be. “Some people don’t have their children while they’re playing because it goes by so quickly,” she says. “I’m really grateful. I know that’s something he always wanted. It’s really fun to see.”
There’s also a generational layer that makes this season feel especially meaningful. McCaffrey’s father, Ed, played in the NFL, and Culpo knows how much that experience shaped him. “He had that with his dad,” she says. “And now we get to have that with our daughter and show her someday these times they had together.”
A Sunday she’ll never forget
When Culpo thinks back on the season, one moment rises above the rest: taking her daughter to training camp.
“I was three weeks postpartum, and it was the first time I left the house,” Culpo recalls. “It was just us, not a lot of people, and it felt really special.”
There was pride in simply showing up. “I was also proud of myself for going out of the house with a newborn,” she says. “You always remember that first time you leave with your newborn.”
The Sundays no one sees
Not every Sunday feels celebratory. Road games, Culpo admits, come with nerves. “It can be a little more stressful, honestly, because I’m nervous typically,” she says. Still, she rarely watches alone.
“I always have my family over,” Culpo says. “It’s so fun.” Keeping things casual helps — pajamas, sweatpants, no pressure. “Just come as you are,” she says. “That’s why football Sundays are the best days to host and be together, because you have every right to stay in your pajamas.”
Behind those Sundays is a reality few fans see. “I don’t think people understand what these guys put into their craft,” Culpo says. “The amount of hours they spend day in and day out — even in the offseason — there are no days off.”
Supporting that level of dedication requires flexibility and understanding. “Being a supportive partner means understanding that and allowing them to do everything they need to do to be their best and feel the most prepared,” she explains. “That means understanding when they can’t go to dinner or when they’re coming home at 8 p.m. and leaving at 6 a.m. every day.”
Culpo adds, “That’s just what it takes.”
Super Bowl Sunday, at home
By the time Super Bowl Sunday arrives on Feb. 8, Culpo is back in hosting mode “as usual,” she says.
Along with her husband and daughter, Culpo will be watching with her niece and nephew, who are newly invested in football. She says it has added another layer of joy. “I’m really excited to watch the game through their eyes.”
There will be plenty of snacks for guests to watch the Seattle Seahawks take on the New England Patriots. “I feel like Super Bowl Sunday is all about the food,” Culpo, who has partnered with Heluva Good! Dip, says. “There will be a lot of dips. I love a good dip — specifically Heluva Good!’s French onion — lots of chips for their dips, and then also the usual suspects: calzone, pizza, chicken wings and vegetables.”
As for the veggies, Culpo agrees it’s not a Sunday to prioritize healthy eating, laughing: “Can’t forget those, I guess. Those are always the ones that kind of sit for longer.”
Most of her day will be spent in the kitchen, where she usually resides. “Making the drinks, refreshing things, walking around,” Culpo says. “I don’t sit still well. It’s hard for me to sit still.”
“That’s why game days are actually really fun,” she adds. “Because you can walk around and host while you’re kind of watching the game.”
If the menu were entirely up to her, it would skew carb-heavy, but since McCaffrey will be home this particular Sunday, the menu shifts. “There will probably be a lot more on the grill — steaks, chicken, that type of thing,” she explains. “With the guys, it’s more like, ‘We need meat.’”
Future Sundays
Now that the season is over, Culpo is ready to hit the road as a trio.
“I’m excited to travel with our new family — my daughter and my husband,” she says. After months where life revolved around the 49ers’ schedule, the idea of slowing down and going somewhere new together feels especially meaningful … until the new season starts.
“He’s been dedicated to football 24/7 since he was basically in elementary school,” Culpo adds. “So it’s fun traveling with him and seeing things for the first time through his eyes.”
