The 23-year-old girlfriend of Cardinals defensive end Walter Nolen sits down with PEOPLE to talk all things WAG life, from an emotional draft day to partying on the team’s Sprinter van
Cardinals WAG Tyler Nelson Tells All About Life on the Sidelines
Tyler Nelson and Walter Nolen.
As defensive end Walter Nolen was drafted to the Cardinals in April, his girlfriend Tyler Nelson officially started her rookie season as an NFL WAG
Nelson sits down with PEOPLE to talk all things WAG life, from an emotional draft day to partying on the team’s Sprinter van
“They just took me under their wing,” she says of the team’s other WAGs, who are now her primary friend group after she moved to Arizona with her partner in the spring
Football has always been a big part of Tyler Nelson’s family.
She grew up in New Orleans, and when she was younger, her dad worked as a personal chef, preparing food for iconic Saints running back Reggie Bush. So naturally, they were huge fans.
But on Sept. 7 — for the first time in Nelson and her dad’s decades of cheering for their hometown team — the pair had a slightly more complex allegiance to the Saints during their season opener. They were facing the Arizona Cardinals, who had signed Nelson’s boyfriend Walter Nolen just months before.
“It was such a full circle moment,” Nelson says of the matchup in an exclusive interview with PEOPLE. “It’s so crazy that his first game was against the Saints.”
During the 2025 NFL Draft, she officially became a WAG when her boyfriend Nolen — a star defensive end fresh out of Ole Miss — was signed to the Cardinals during the first round.
Cardinals WAG Tyler Nelson Tells All About Life on the Sidelines
Cardinals WAG Tyler Nelson Tells All About Life on the Sidelines
The couple first met in May 2024 as Nelson was celebrating her graduation from LSU. They like to tell people that they met “camping”; the reality, Nelson reveals to PEOPLE, is that they crossed paths at a Houston club called KAMP after a mutual friend let Nolen know she would be there that night. They “hit it off quickly,” she says, and “never left each other.”
“People ask what I did for work before I met my partner,” Nelson laughs. “Not much — I graduated the day before I met him, so I wasn’t even able to get pushed into the workforce.”
The following year, Nelson followed her boyfriend to Mississippi for his standout season at Ole Miss, before the pair started focusing their sights on the upcoming NFL draft.
“I was so excited and I was so proud of him — and I wanted to make it super special for him and his family,” she says.
Per his agent’s recommendation, they rented out a house in Texas, where both of their families could fly in for the experience. She arranged all of the hats of the potential teams on a table, had cameras inside the home ready to capture Nolen’s boyfriend, and then their families just had to wait in anticipation for the call.
Cardinals WAG Tyler Nelson Tells All About Life on the Sidelines
Cardinals WAG Tyler Nelson Tells All About Life on the Sidelines
“His eyes were glued to the TV,” Nelson remembers of her boyfriend on the big day. “His hands were together. He was so focused. Didn't crack a smile or anything. He's waiting for this phone call.”
When the news finally came in that Nolen was granted a spot on the Cardinals, his youngest brother burst into tears.
“He looks up to Walter so much,” says Nelson. “I look at him, he's bawling and I couldn't help myself. I started bawling because I'd never seen him cry. That was a crazy day. A crazy day of emotions.”
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And it was just the beginning: At 8 a.m. the next morning, they had to be ready to move their lives across the country. The team sent a driver, who brought them to a jet. When they touched down in Arizona, they were met with dozens of reporters, all wanting to talk to Nolen about his NFL placement.
Cardinals WAG Tyler Nelson Tells All About Life on the Sidelines
Cardinals WAG Tyler Nelson Tells All About Life on the Sidelines
“It really didn't feel real,” she says. “We kept saying it to each other, it felt like someone had picked us up and put us on a movie set.”
As Nolen was meeting his new teammates, getting a first look at his new locker and starting to train, the whirlwind continued for Nelson as well: Her social media posts started to go viral (she quickly signed with an agency) and she became the newest member of the team’s WAGs.
“They just took me under their wing,” says Nelson, adding that, because Nolen was drafted during the first round and will likely remain on the team for many years, her fellow WAGs had a vested interest in building a relationship with her.
“We go through the same things, and we always are with each other,” continues Nelson, describing a recent watch party she was invited to. “Most of the time, the girls have their chef prepare dishes and then the girls just come and take shots whenever something happens in the game. It's super fun. And then all the kids can play with each other and stuff.”
Cardinals WAG Tyler Nelson Tells All About Life on the SidelinesCardinals WAG Tyler Nelson Tells All About Life on the Sidelines
Tyler Nelson and Cardinals WAGs.
Adds Nelson: “Most of the time, we have people come in every weekend. As a WAG, you’re always hosting. You’re never done hosting. Even if you don’t know, just prepare to host — always have a wine bottle.”
Naturally, Nelson’s week revolves around game day.
In the days leading up to kickoff, she’ll prepare he house, getting it ready for any houseguests that may be staying with them for the game, as well as decorating “to hype” Nolen up for the game (when the Cardinals faced off against the San Francisco 49ers earlier this season, for instance, she made a sign that read “birds fly higher than the Bay Bridge”).
On the morning of the game, her driver will take her to the home of one of the other WAGs, where the pre-gaming begins, first at their house, then in the team's Sprinter to the stadium. Win or loss, when the game is over, she meets Nolen at the stadium — “and you can either be jumping up and down or you can be rubbing someone's back,” she jokes.
Cardinals WAG Tyler Nelson Tells All About Life on the Sidelines
Cardinals WAG Tyler Nelson Tells All About Life on the Sidelines
While many of the teammates like to go out after the game, Nelson says her boyfriend isn’t much of a partier.
“So we'll probably just come back home and watch the game 50 more times,” she laughs.