Raised by Same Sex Parents, Cardinals’ Trey McBride Turned a Distinct Upbringing Into $76M NFL Payday

“My parents were some of the first gay or lesbian people out here. When we came to town, everyone kind of knew it, and it spread pretty quickly as news does in small towns,” Cardinals TE Trey McBride recalled as he talked about being raised by two moms. Trey is the first-ever NFL player to have been raised by same-gender parents. In 2022, the Cardinals came knocking at McBride’s door, picking him up in the second round of the draft. The news quickly spread in Fort Morgan, where Trey has grown up.

It’s now been three years since Trey McBride began his NFL career, and this year, he just landed a huge deal. But we’ll get to that in a bit. First, here’s a look at the TE’s journey so far and a little more about his inspiring parents. Raised by Kate McBride and Jen McBride, Trey’s personal life attracted unusual attention when his parents moved to Fort Morgan. And that’s because he had a unique family. “When we moved from the bigger city, people were like, ‘I don’t know if you guys are going to like living in Fort Morgan. It’s a small community; you guys are going to have problems,’” shared Jen.

But the good thing was that the family never really paid much attention to what people in town had to say. For Trey’s moms, it was all about supporting their son and his football dreams. “He always said he was going to play in the NFL ever since he was a little kid. So I just trusted that that’s what he was going to do. I mean, when Trey says he’s going to do something, he does it,” recalled Jen.

After finishing high school at Fort Morgan, Colorado, Trey McBride received scholarship offers from Colorado State University, Wyoming, and a few other schools. The TE chose to stay close to home and committed to Colorado State. Reflecting on her son’s journey, Jen shared, “What’s important is that he’s living his dream. And he’s going to be happy. And as an aside, he has two women for parents.“

Fast forward to present, the Cardinals star has signed a handsome deal after completing three strong seasons in his NFL career.

Trey McBride levels Tay Tay with big new deal

Trey McBride was on a $1.57 million contract with the Arizona Cardinals. On Thursday, the team just handed him a big fat check. ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter reported on Thursday that the Cardinals have signed a “$76 million extension” with their TE. This makes McBride the highest-paid tight end in NFL history. Under his new deal, Trey is locked in with the team until 2030.

The Colorado State alum had a breakthrough season, racking up 1,146 receiving yards and averaging 10.3 yards per reception. The 25-year-old caught 111 passes, ranking 4th among TEs in the league. Although the Cardinals had an 8-9 not-so-impressive season, McBride’s performance was worth offering him an extension. Trey’s new deal includes $43 million in guaranteed money. His average annual salary will be $19 million, the highest for any NFL TE.

McBride dethrones Chiefs TE Travis Kelce with his new contract, surpassing Kelce’s $17.1 million contract. With this extension, the Cardinals have made it clear that they see McBride as a cornerstone of their future.