The Group Chat: Kicking things off

For the next 18 weeks, Sundays are synonymous with football — but it’s anything but a boys club. Women are experiencing the game in all sorts of ways, from the stands to the sidelines to your carefully curated Instagram algorithm.

• Before you slide headfirst, fearless into that Buffalo chicken dip, here are five women of the NFL you need to know.

💅 Kristin Juszczyk, the WAG-turned-CCO

The wife of San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk, Kristin’s an NFL icon in her own right. She’s the founder of Off Season, an apparel brand redefining sports fashion. Those custom puffer jackets that go viral every season are Juszczyk’s brainchild.

• A true WAG’s WAG, the 32-year-old has dressed everyone who’s anyone in the NFL space, from Taylor Swift to Simone Biles to Ann Michael Maye, earning herself a 2024 licensing deal with the NFL in the process.

🎤 Mina Kimes, the voice of gridiron analysis

Kimes is that girl. A fave at The GIST HQ, she’s the coolest sports nerd, spitting facts for ESPN on the daily and hosting her very own podcast, The Mina Kimes Show featuring Lenny (her adorable pup). This supermom always has a meme up her sleeve and perfectly timed PSAs on her feed.

• As an analyst, she’s formidable, going toe-to-toe with all her male peers. Her analysis is spot-on, her insights unparalleled, and she does it all with her signature sense of humor. A woman after our own hearts.

💸 Nicole Lynn, the NFL’s high-stakes negotiator

As president of football operations and superstar agent at Klutch Sports, Lynn’s client list reads like a “who’s who” of NFL paydays. That then-record-breaking deal in August for Atlanta Falcons superstar running back Bijan Robinson? You guessed it, negotiated by Lynn. Resetting the market is all in a day’s work.

• But that’s not all: Lynn’s a bona fide trailblazer. She’s the first Black woman to represent a top-three draft pick (the Dallas Cowboys’ Quinnen Williams in 2019) and a quarterback in the Super Bowl (the Philadelphia Eagles’ Jalen Hurts).

🦓 Sarah Thomas, the ref who changed the rulebook

Being a referee isn’t for the faint of heart, but Thomas is in the business of smashing ceilings. She became the first woman full-time, on-field official in 2015. Now in her 12th season, Thomas continues to keep NFL players in line while repping the stripes.

• She officiated her first playoff game in 2019, the first woman to do so, before becoming the first-ever woman to referee the Super Bowl two years later. Catch her in action today: She’ll be the down judge for the 1 p.m. ET tilt between the Chicago Bears and Carolina Panthers.

🎧 Carlie Irsay-Gordon, the owner shaping the league’s future

When Irsay-Gordon’s father, longtime Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay, passed away last year, she used her experience climbing the front office’s ranks and took the reins as co-owner (along with her two sisters) and CEO. In the past year, she’s become a fixture on the Colts’ sidelines at practices and games, and her leadership style is drawing attention across the league.

• She’s known for her uniquely hands-on approach, immersing herself in the team’s most minute inner workings to understand fully and lead better. From caring for her employees to shaping the future of the NFL, she’s changing what it means to be an NFL owner and woman in sports.