There will be 68 male cheerleaders in the NFL this season, a sign that the guys are here to stay
The rise of men being NFL cheerleaders continues unabated, with 68 in the 2026 season. This is down slightly from 2025.
Mark
Male cheerleaders in the NFL are here to stay and 2026 proves it, with 68 men being either cheerleaders who also dance or stunt team members.
This is down three men from 71 in the 2025 season, which is statistically insignificant. All 11 teams with male cheerleaders have them again this season, while 13 teams feature only women. Eight teams have no official cheerleaders: Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns, Green Bay Packers, Los Angeles Chargers, New York Giants, New York Jets, and Pittsburgh Steelers.
One of the newest male cheerleaders is Jackson O’Brien with the Philadelphia Eagles, whose heartwarming call with his mom to share the good news went viral last month.
“If Jackson from last year saw where he is now, he would literally be like, ‘diva, you’re lying’. But I’m not! I’m not! I’m here!” O’Brien said.
“I will say until the day I die that dance saved my life. Now I have so many more people I get to dance for.”
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O’Brien identifies as gay, as do several other men, most notably Louie Conn and Blaize Shiek of the Minnesota Vikings, whose mere appearance on the sidelines last year caused some right-wingers to faint in shock.
Among those back on the sidelines is Jeremy Greer of the New England Patriots, whose victory dance in a playoff game in January got national exposure. Greer identifies as gender-fluid.
“My dance is the dance of my life. It is my means of healing, understanding, and speaking when words fail,” Greer wrote on his website.
“As a queer person, my identity, my life’s journey, has been impacted greatly by my queerness. My voice is that of a queer person, and in turn my creation is inherently queer.”
Related
Meet the 71 male NFL cheerleaders on 11 teams for the 2025 season
Male NFL cheerleaders are here to stay, as this year’s crop will attest to. ‘The team already feels like a family,’ an Eagles male cheerleader says.‘Mom, I made the team!’ — Gay NFL cheerleader’s emotional video goes viral
Gay cheerleader Jackson O’Brien has gone viral after phoning his mom with the news that he’s made the Philadelphia Eagles cheer team.The 2 gay Minnesota Vikings male cheerleaders begin Season 2, this time minus the trolls
Blaize Shiek and Louie Conn began their second season as cheerleaders with the Minnesota Vikings. What was missing this time were the trolls.
In addition to the eight teams without cheer squads, there are 13 teams with female cheerleaders but no men: Miami, Cincinnati, Denver, Las Vegas, Kansas City, Dallas, Arizona, Carolina, Atlanta, Detroit, Houston, Jacksonville and Indianapolis.
Here are the teams with male cheerleaders or stunt team members in 2026. (Click on the team name to see the roster.)
Baltimore Ravens, 25, all on the stunt team
Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 10 (two cheerleaders, eight on the stunt team)
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