The Washington Commanders clinched a playoff spot on Sunday night, but one player also clinched forever.
Just moments after the team’s 30-24 overtime victory over the Atlanta Falcons, safety Jeremy Reaves played it anything but safe, getting in victory formation and asking his longtime girlfriend, Mikaela Worley, to marry him.
Despite kneeling out of bounds, the question was anything but for Reaves, who got a swift “yes” from his future wife. For a team that is used to name changes in recent years, Worley will soon take on the new title if she chooses to.
Fellow teammates were quick to celebrate with the newly engaged couple.
The 28-year-old Reaves had to wait a little longer to pop the question, thanks to the Falcons’ comeback that sent the game to the extra session. With everyone in a celebratory mood, the safety said that he would’ve delayed the proposal if Washington lost on Sunday night.
“I hate losing, so there’s no way I could have done that in the right spirit after a loss,” Reaves told the Associated Press. “That thing was burning a hole in my pocket.”
He’s been with the Commanders since 2018 when he went undrafted. Worley has been by Reaves’ side despite the challenges since high school.
“If we win this game, it’s destiny,” Reaves said. “She’s earned it. I can’t say enough about her. When I was at my lowest last year, she was there to pick me up every day. She showed up. That’s my best friend. Been my best friend since high school.”
Reaves, who primarily plays on special teams, tore his ACL in October 2023, which ended his season.
“You can tell a lot about somebody when they are going through the worst and how they handle it,” Reaves said, adding that she was his crutch through all of it.
Worley, a Pensacola, Fla. native like Reaves, is the youngest of three siblings and played volleyball at the University of Louisiana Monroe. She now works as a physician assistant in Virginia, standing alongside Reaves as they have since their days at Milton High School.
Washington will wrap up the regular season at home against Dallas, hoping to secure the No. 6 seed in the NFC playoffs. Then, they will focus on the postseason as the upstart Commanders try to continue a surprise run.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jeremy Reaves proposes to Mikaela Worley after Commanders ‘SNF’ win