While seeing second-generation NFL players isn’t uncommon, several former players have children starring at the highest level in sports other than football. Look no further than the event of the summer, the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and this week’s NBA Draft.
Here are some of the most accomplished current athletes in the pro sports ranks with NFL bloodlines:
Alex Freeman scored the second goal in Team USA’s 2-0 win Sunday over Australia in group stage play at the World Cup, where the Americans have clinched Group D and will advance to the knockout round. The U.S. faces Türkiye in their final group-stage match Thursday (10 p.m. ET on FOX).
Alex Freeman celebrates his goal with teammates during the Group D match against Australia on June 19. (Photo by Peng Ziyang/Xinhua via Getty Images)
At age 21, Freeman is the youngest player representing Team USA this year. He plays his club ball for Villarreal in La Liga, the highest level league in Spain.
The elder Freeman, Antonio Freeman, played nine seasons as a wide receiver in the NFL, winning a Super Bowl with the Green Bay Packers in 1996. He was a first-team All-Pro selection in 1998.
Haley, 27, is a standout for Brighton & Hove Albion in the English Women’s Super League, the most competitive tier of women’s soccer in England. She starred collegiately at Stanford and was drafted seventh overall by the Chicago Red Stars in the 2021 NWSL Draft, though she never played for the team. She helped Sydney FC win the Australian League title in 2023 before joining Brighton.
Madison Haley was nominated for the WSL player of the month award for April. (Photo by Tiego Grenho/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Madison’s father, Charles Haley, is a Pro Football Hall of Famer. He won five Super Bowls and was twice named an All-Pro edge rusher in his 13 NFL seasons with the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys.
Joshua Jefferson was selected in the first round of the NBA Draft on Tuesday, taken at No. 28 overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves, who sent him to Brooklyn in a pre-arranged trade. A 6-foot-8 forward, Jefferson averaged 16.4 points, 7.4 rebounds and 4.8 assists for Iowa State last season.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver shakes hands with Joshua Jefferson after he is drafted 28th overall in the 2026 NBA Draft. (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images)
Ben Jefferson was a 6-foot-8, 300-plus-pound guard at Maryland in the 1980s. As a freshman in 1985, he was highlighted by Sports Illustrated as one of the biggest players in college football. He went undrafted out of college but had stints with a few NFL teams, making all four of his career appearances in 1990 with the Cleveland Browns.
Koa Peat, who starred for Arizona as a freshman last season, was drafted by the Dallas Mavericks with the 30th overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft — a selection that was traded to Phoenix. A 6-foot-8 forward, Peat averaged 14.1 points and 5.6 rebounds for an Arizona team that made the Final Four.
Koa Peat helped lead the Arizona Wildcats to the 2026 Final Four. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Todd Peat Sr. was an 11th round pick of the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1987 NFL Draft, making 79 appearances as a guard across six seasons with the Cardinals and Raiders. Koa’s brother, Andrus Peat, is an 11-year NFL veteran and three-time Pro Bowl guard, most recently appearing in six games with the Pittsburgh Steelers last season.
Singles · Doubles
Longtime pro tennis player Sloane Stephens has been ranked as high as the world No. 3 in singles by the Women’s Tennis Association. She has won eight singles titles as a pro, including the 2017 U.S. Open.
Sloane Stephens celebrates her victory during the Qualifying competition of the 2026 French Open. (Photo by Tim Clayton/Getty Images)
Her father, John Stephens, was a first-round pick of the New England Patriots in 1988 and a Pro Bowl running back as a rookie. He played six total seasons, with the Patriots, Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs.
Jaxson Hayes was selected eighth overall in the 2019 NBA Draft, and the 7-foot center has played eight seasons and counting with the New Orleans Pelicans and Los Angeles Lakers. His best season to date came in 2021-22, when he averaged 9.3 points and 4.5 rebounds for the Pelicans.
Jaxson Hayes reacts during a game against Oklahoma City in the 2026 NBA playoffs. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)
Jaxson’s father, tight end Jonathan Hayes, was a second-round pick in the 1985 NFL Draft by the Chiefs and appeared in 184 games across 12 seasons. The elder Hayes is a former tight ends coach for the Cincinnati Bengals (2003-18) and served as the head coach and general manager of the St. Louis Battlehawks in 2020.
Vashti Cunningham is a three-time Olympian for Team USA in the high jump, finishing fifth in the Paris Games in 2024. The 28-year-old has medaled twice in the World Championships, winning gold in 2016 and silver in 2018.
Vashti Cunningham participates in high jump qualifying during the World Athletics Championships 2025 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Pat Scaasi/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Randall Cunningham, a second-round pick of the Philadelphia Eagles in 1985, was a four-time Pro Bowl quarterback in his 16 seasons with the Eagles, Minnesota Vikings, Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens.
Elijah Green was selected fifth overall in the 2022 MLB Draft after starring at IMG Academy in Florida. He’s hit 10 home runs in his first 62 games this season for the Wilmington Blue Rocks, the Nationals’ High-A affiliate.
Last year, Nationals prospect Elijah Green played in MLB’s Spring Breakout series, which features the best young talent in the game. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images)
His father, Eric Green, was picked 21st overall in the 1990 NFL Draft by the Steelers. He played nine seasons in the league and was twice named to the Pro Bowl as a tight end.
