Kurt Warner's 7 Children: All About the Former Football Star’s Sons and Daughters (Who He Says ‘Inspired’ His NFL Career!)

2000 Super Bowl MVP Kurt Warner and his wife Brenda Warner have a large family of seven kids: Zack Taylor, Jesse Jo, Kade Eugene, Jada Jo, Elijah Storm, Sierra Rose and Sienna Rae.

Kurt’s story was featured in the 2021 biopic American Underdog, which showed his journey going from being undrafted to winning the Super Bowl five years later as a rookie. After winning MVP, Kurt went on to play in two more Super Bowls — one with the St. Louis Rams in 2001 and one with the Arizona Cardinals in 2009 — and earned a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017.

“ZT, Jesse, Kade, Jada, EJ, Sienna and Sierra; Undeniably, you are my greatest motivators,” Kurt said in his Hall of Fame induction speech. “Now forget about being a better football player. You drove me to be a better man, to be a better father ... You inspired this."

Kurt’s kids Zack and Jesse — born during Brenda’s first marriage in 1989 and 1992 respectively — were prominently portrayed in American Underdog during the early days of his football career and relationship with his future wife. His sons Kade and Elijah — born in 1998 and 2003 respectively — are both football players with Kade having reached the NFL as a wide receiver and Elijah playing college football as a quarterback.

His daughter Jada — born in 2001 — is pursuing acting and content creation after graduating from the University of Southern California (USC). Kurt’s twin daughters Sienna and Sierra — born in 2005 — are both in college with respective interests in photography and horse riding.

Here's everything to know about Kurt Warner’s seven kids: Zack, Jesse, Kade, Jada, Elijah, Sienna and Sierra.

Zack Taylor Warner, 35

Zack was born on April 25, 1989, to Brenda and her first husband, before being adopted by Kurt.

He suffered a brain injury when he was a baby that led to him being blind and having developmental disabilities. Zack's resilience has inspired Kurt.

“If there’s anybody that’s given me perspective in life as I’ve gone through this whole entire journey it’s that young man right there. It’s a young man that you watch [have to] struggle every single day,” Kurt told Joe Buck on Undeniable. “You never hear him complain. You never hear him say ‘Why me?’ You see him keep going, keep striving, you see him exceed every expectation that everybody has ever had for him.”

Zack was a large part of American Underdog and one particularly touching scene involved him leading Kurt into Brenda’s house immediately upon meeting him. It turns out this scene was based on reality and a large part of how Brenda knew Kurt was the one.

“I went there and she ran off to do something. Zack kind of grabbed my hand and pulled me into the house and we just had an unbelievable morning just the two of us kind of hanging there while she was getting ready,” Kurt told PEOPLE in 2021.

“When I walked out and he was wrestling on the floor with Zack and I thought this is the first time that I don’t have to explain my son’s injury to anybody. He did not care and it just eased something, the way he looked at my son with pure love, no judgement, no expectation, just loved him, that’s all it took for me,” Brenda added. “That’s when I knew because he was worthy then, of our lives, of our love if he was going to respond like that to my son.”

Brenda and Kurt were motivated by Zack to start a nonprofit organization called Treasure House, where Zack resides in his own apartment with other adults living with intellectual or developmental disabilities.

In April 2024, Brenda celebrated her firstborn's 35th birthday on Instagram. "He is funny, smart, determined. He likes spicy chicken sandwiches, picking up sticks, watching Peppa Pig and flirts endlessly with middle aged married women. Oh I love him so very much," she wrote.

Jesse Jo Stanton, 32

Jesse was born on Jan. 15, 1992, to Brenda and her first husband before being adopted by Kurt. She was also portrayed during the early part of Kurt and Brenda’s relationship in American Underdog.

Prior to playing in his third Super Bowl as the quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals in 2009, reporters asked Kurt about a note from Jesse saying she was proud of him that could be seen on the front of his playbook.

“It’s one of those things that you always think you’re going to be the one telling your kids how proud you are of them, and what they’ve accomplished. It was neat to get that from her,” Kurt said, per The Boston Herald. “Even though we’re in the midst of the biggest game in this field and of my career it’s a reminder to me of what’s really important. The bottom line of what this is all about is not just playing football, but impacting the lives of people in my family.”

Jesse met her husband, Daniel Stanton, through pickup basketball games that Kurt organized in Phoenix. She married Daniel in 2015 and the couple have at least two kids together, Nola Blue and Romy Wilde, making Kurt a grandpa.

“Be still my ❤️. I became a grandpa to Nola Blue. The fight begins with @brendawarner on trying to hold her and not give her up or share. Oh how we love her so much,” Kurt wrote on Instagram in 2017.

Today, Jesse is the owner and designer of Freja Creative — formerly known as Freed Hands — offering custom stationery, wedding and event signage and calligraphy.

Kade Eugene Warner, 26

Kurt and Brenda welcomed their son Kade on Sept. 29, 1998. Just like his dad, he had an unconventional path in the football world.

In high school, Kade was a star wide receiver, being named All-State twice. However, he didn’t get any scholarship offers, so he joined the Nebraska Cornhuskers as a walk-on. Kade eventually worked his way into being a starter before transferring to Kansas State and entering the NFL Draft.

The young football player didn’t have to go through it alone as he had the support of his dad, who’d been through it too.

“I can lean a lot on my dad throughout this process and just kind of lean on him to say ‘I know who I am. Am I doing the right things? Should I be doing this? What else can I do?’ He’s definitely a foundation of mine that I lean on,” Kade told NFL Path to the Draft.

Just like Kurt, Kade went undrafted in the 2023 NFL Draft, but he didn’t give up on his dreams. He was eventually signed as an undrafted player with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and played his first game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the same team Kurt played against in his final Super Bowl appearance, which was also in the Buccaneers stadium.

“Last SB I played in vs @steelers in @Buccaneers stadium… today my son plays his 1st game for the Bucs Vs Steelers in that same stadium!!! You can’t make this stuff up… & I never thought I’d cheer for TB, how quickly things change! #ProudPapa,” Kurt wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

Kade later moved to the XFL working with the Houston Roughnecks and the Brahmas. As of August 2024, he is a free agent.

On Feb. 17, 2024, Kade married his wife Abby, whom he’d been dating for over five years. The event was a family affair — Jesse's stationary company, Freja Collective, did the invitations and signage for Kade and Abby's nupitals.

Jada Jo Warner, 23

Kurt and Brenda welcomed their daughter Jada on Feb. 17, 2001, the year in between Kurt’s two league MVP awards.

In 2024, Jada graduated from USC’s School of Dramatic Arts with a bachelor’s degree in theatre. She is an aspiring actress and is a content creator with over 200,000 followers on TikTok. In one of her 2022 videos, Jada shared an inside look at what it’s like to have Kurt as her father.

“This morning, I texted him to tell him I didn’t get into the short film that yesterday I told him that I was pretty certain I got into and this was his response," she said.

“Ugh sorry kiddo [rejections] suck... but [you] always have to hang on to what you know and not what someone else doesn’t,” Kurt wrote. “Hard when you aren’t where you want to be and circumstance may say something different but holding that internal confidence is always key to putting your best foot forward next time! Love you. Your time is coming.”

In November 2024, Kurt shared a video on his TikTok talking about Jada. "She is independent and complex. She's resilient and she's one of those that love to try new things," he said. "She's gonna be successful in whatever she does, there's no doubt in my mind. It's fun to watch her spread her wings."

Now, Jada shares on social media about her acting career, travels and mental health.

Elijah Storm Warner, 21

Kurt and Brenda welcomed their youngest son Elijah “E.J.” on Nov. 3, 2003. He is not only playing football like his dad but also in the same position, as he became the starting quarterback for the Rice University Owls in 2024.

“Happy birthday to Elijah Storm! Our youngest son is 21 today, balled out last night w @RiceFootball, looks like me but acts like @kurt13warner I love my boy,” Brenda wrote on X in November 2024.

“Love that boy! Happy 21 EJ!” Kurt penned in a repost on X.

The Hall of Famer has also said that Elijah is a better player than he was at this age, per The Arizona Republic. Kurt was known as a hard worker, with incredible arm strength and the ability to quickly read the field, even if he couldn’t move quickly, which are traits it seems Elijah inherited as he alluded to during the Rice University Owls media day.

“I feel like I work hard. I feel like I put a lot of work in,” the younger Warner said. “The main thing you’ll see is, I like to say I’m mentally fast, not physically fast. I think you’ll see how fast I get the ball out, different checks I can do, just basically seeing the defense and reacting fast so that we can get positive advantages every single time.”

Sierra Rose Warner, 19

Kurt and Brenda welcomed twin daughters Sierra and Sienna on Dec. 19, 2005.

Although the two were born at the same time, Sierra was the final of the couple’s seven kids to leave home when she went to college in 2024. Brenda posted an emotional message for her daughter to mark the occasion.

“Sierra Rose is moved in to her college dorm! Our last and final Warner kid has left home. For all those years of driving by ASU to get to airport so we could fly across country to see our other kids at college, we now can drive down the road. We are so excited for her to experience life while still jumping her horses. She is incredible,” she wrote on Instagram.

As referenced by her mom, one of Sierra’s passions is riding horses. She even took first place in a 2022 competition.

“So proud of our daughter @sierrarosewarner124 this weekend taking first place in her show competition with her horse Jurisdiction. She works hard, practices, and enjoys her sport. Her smile says it all. ❤️❤️❤️,” Brenda wrote on Instagram.

Sierra has shared about her boyfriend, David Strow, on social media. The pair attended high school together but didn't hard launch their relationship until August 2024, when the equestrian shared romantic photos with Strow and captioned them, "more than friends 🤍."

Sienna Rae Warner, 19

Kurt and Brenda welcomed their twins, Sierra and Sienna, on Dec. 19, 2005. In high school, Sienna developed a passion for art and even showcased her work in galleries.

“Our daughter @siennawarnerphotography art is hanging in a gallery showcasing high school artists. She captured me welding and brought it to life with her artistic eye. So proud of her,” Brenda wrote on Instagram in 2022.

During high school, Sienna designed graphics for the sports teams. She is also a budding photographer with her own professional Instagram account. In addition to making a poster for her brother Elijah, she regularly takes photos of her family.

In 2024, Sienna became the second to last Warner child to move out when she went to the University of Iowa.

“Another Warner kid off to college! @siennaraewarner (6/7 kid) has moved out of our house and into her dorm room at @uiowa We are so proud of her! ❤️,” Brenda wrote on Instagram.

Read the original article on People