J.J. McCarthy's fiancée Katya Kuropas melts hearts with adorable IG snap of son Rome posing with his very first football

J.J. McCarthy and his fiancée, Katya Kuropas, welcomed their first child together two weeks ago. Their son, Rome, was born just days after his father made his NFL debut with the Minnesota Vikings.

On Thursday, Kuropas shared a photo of their newborn son in a car seat, celebrating that he was already two weeks old.

"2 weeks today," she captioned the Instagram Story.

Kuropas celebrated her son being two weeks old. (Photo via Katya Kuropas' Instagram Story)

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Kuropas then shared another photo of her newborn son alongside a sweet keepsake that was gifted by the Minnesota Vikings.

"I think he likes his football," Kuropas wrote.

Another photo posted by Katya Kuropas of her son. (Photo via Katya Kuropas' Instagram Story)

The football had Rome's name on it along with his birth date, height, weight at birth and the Minnesota Vikings logo.

J.J. McCarthy's fiancée Katya announced pregnancy during offseason

Quarterback J.J. McCarthy saw his NFL dreams realized when he was selected by the Minnesota Vikings with the 10th pick in the 2024 NFL draft. McCarthy's rookie campaign came to a halt before it even started when he suffered an ACL injury during the preseason.

As McCarthy prepared for his return to the field in 2025, he and his fiancée, Katya Kuropas, announced a significant life milestone. In May, the high school sweethearts announced that they were expecting their first child in September.

"The best surprises come when you least expect them. Our sweet baby boy is arriving in September and we couldn’t be happier," Kuropas announced.

The couple's pregnancy announcement on Instagram featured photos of them standing along a mountainside. Both wore jeans and white tops, with Katya wearing a white, cropped top that revealed her bump.

The couple has been together since high school and the quarterback proposed in January 2024. They announced their engagement just weeks after McCarthy led the Michigan Wolverines to a national championship title.

McCarthy is currently out with an ankle injury he suffered in Week 2.

About the author

Bethany Cohen is an NFL writer at Sportskeeda, with a rich prior 15-year experience in the sports writing industry, primarily covering the MLB and MiLB. She majored in Communications from the University of South Florida and has previously worked for top companies such as Examiner.com and Legends on Deck.

Bethany owes her NFL allegiance to the Pittsburgh Steelers owing to their long-standing tradition and competitiveness. She is a fan of old stalwarts such as Terry Bradshaw and Franco Harris and would love to watch them in the 1970s if she manages to get her hand on a time machine. She also acknowledges the greatness of modern icons like T.J. Watt for his desire to continuously improve despite being on top. She admires coaches Mike Tomlin and Andy Reid for their longevity and success.

The ace reporter credits her knowledge and love for the sport to be her biggest reporting strengths. Prior fact-checking is a big component of her process and she always scours through additional sources to ensure complete accuracy in her content.

Super Bowl XLIII, when the Steelers won the the grand prize after Santonio Holmes’ epic catch in the end zone with just seconds left on the clock is etched in Bethany’s memory forever. When she is free of her professional commitments, she likes to attend sports events and music concerts.

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Edited by Bethany Cohen