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Bryan Cook, Kansas City Chiefs’safety, added another Super Bowl win to his list this year. Yet, an exciting off-field accolade in 2024 is his recent achievement. Yes, that is none other than his forever soulmate, Jayla Thornton-Cook, a basketball player. The athlete couple recently thrilled their fans with the announcement of their marriage. On June 25, Jayla Thornton-Cook revealed the wedding news on her Instagram account @jaylatcook_. Sharing a candid wedding snap in an elegant floral bridal dress with her now NFL husband Bryan Cook, she captioned the post, “Mr. And Mrs. Cook.”

Soon after, their marriage post surfaced on the internet, their comment section was filled with congratulatory messages. Like many fans, MLFootball also dropped heartfelt wishes for the newlywed couple. “CONGRATULATIONS: #Chiefs standout DB Bryan Cook and his now wife, Jayla Thornton-Cook, have announced their marriage 👏👏👏,” they wrote on their X account. As the NFL safety has found his lifetime athlete partner, his fans are equally invested in knowing more about Jayla Thornton-Cook, who is a prominent collegiate player on the women’s basketball team.

Know everything about Bryan Cook’s new wife Jayla Thornton-Cook

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Jayla Thornton, also known as JT, hails from Newark, New Jersey. Before catching noteworthy attention for her love association with the NFL star, she left no stone unturned to earn a good reputation in her college basketball career. During her time at George Washington University, JT completed 20 games as a graduate student in 2023. Additionally, she astonished her fans by starting 2 games as a guard. During the 2022 and 2023 seasons, she dominated the field by scoring the highest 23 points against Ohio University during an eight-for-fourteen outing from the field. It was her first career double-double.


Before this, Thornton also played for Syracuse University in 2021 and 2022. During this time, she secured a season-high score of 12 points in the opener against Monmouth in a total of 5 games. Additionally, she earned the honor of being named in the Athletic Director’s Fall 2021 Honor Roll.

Chiefs’ safety’s new wife also showcased her skills while playing 4 seasons at Howard University in Washington, D.C. From 2017 to 2022, as a senior Howard athlete, she recorded a total of 1,222 career points with 275 three-pointers and became a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Player of the Year in 2021.

Apart from that, she also had the opportunity to play with the Black College Sports Network (BCSN)’s All-American First Team in 2021. As a junior and sophomore, she earned multiple phenomenal achievements. Jayla got the spot in the top 20 in three-pointers made as a junior. Moreover, she placed herself in the 3 spot on HBCU’s Women’s Basketball Players by “The Undefeated” and garnered MEAC Player of the Week as a sophomore during her time at Howard.

Apart from her professional career, her love affair with the Super bowl-winning Chiefs’ player has gained her a lot of attention. When did the couple start dating each other and how did they meet? Let’s dive into their relationship timeline.

Bryan Cook and Jayla Thornton-Cook’s relationship timeline

The newlywed couple share a very healthy bond, and their social media posts are truly a testament to this. However, it is not clear when exactly the couple started dating each other. Though both the husband and wife attended the same Howard University, they have not revealed their love story to their fans yet. However, they often share snaps of themselves together, showing their chemistry with each other.

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Before announcing their wedding, the couple shared the update of their ring ceremony on June 17, 2023. Apart from that, Mrs. Cook also accompanied her then-fiance during the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl LVII ring ceremony on June 13. Like many other Chiefs’ players and their families, the couple also attended the back-to-back champions event at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, Missouri. Along with sharing a captivating picture, she captioned the post, “Love making memories w/ this one ❤️🤞🏽.”

It was a milestone moment for the NFL couple, showing their unwavering bond with each other. During the victorious event, Jayla Thornton-Cook also flaunted her baby bump, as she is going to be a mom of a baby girl with Bryan Cook. Through her IG handle, the new bride announced the news of her upcoming baby on May 2. She also dropped the picture of the baby shower with Cook.

Apart from that, she caught attention during the Super Bowl in February, as she supported asnd cheered for her NFL sweetheart. She not only cheered him from the stands but also dropped the enchanting snaps from the gridiron on her IG account. She captioned the post, “2x Super Bowl Champs, this time w/ a plus 1 🥳✨❤️🤰🏽.”

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This was not the only instance when the couple’s bonding was visible. In many instances, they showcased their deep affection for each other like in August 2023, JT dropped an enchanting photograph while celebrating 2 years of togetherness, as she wrote in the caption, “Year 2 🤩❤️,” which suggests that the couple might have started dating in 2021.

They have shown their supportive side on and off the ground. And now they are hitched for a lifetime, as promised in their forever vows.