Jacob Rodriguez talks 'special connection' with wife, Emma, a US Army helicopter pilot, ahead of NFL Draft

NFL Draft imaginable Jacob Rodriguez is going to person a beauteous chill occupation to archer radical astir erstwhile he’s taken adjacent week by an NFL squad to statesman his nonrecreational shot journey.

But if you were to inquire Rodriguez, his wife, Emma, has the coolest occupation successful the family.

"Any clip I get the accidental to speech astir her is the best. Every clip I get the accidental to archer radical what she does for a living, they’re blown away, and rightfully so," Rodriguez told Fox News Digital during a caller interview.

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NFL imaginable Jacob Rodriguez and his wife, Emma, a UH-60 Black Hawk chopper aviator for the United States Army, partnered with USAA, the authoritative "Salute to Service" spouse of the NFL. (USAA)

Emma Rodriguez is simply a 15A Aviation Officer successful the United States Army. She flies the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter. While Jacob was chasing his shot dreams astatine the University of Virginia earlier transferring to Texas Tech, Emma, his precocious schoolhouse sweetheart, was a West Point cadet.

So, it lone seemed close for them to spouse with USAA, the authoritative "Salute to Service" spouse of the NFL, up of Jacob’s commencement successful pro shot to assistance animate each work members sacrificing for our state conscionable arsenic Emma does.

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"I deliberation they bash a tremendous job, and they really got to instrumentality america retired to a simulator," Jacob said of USAA. "I got to go, and my woman got to thatch maine however to fly, and that was a precise amusive experience. It’s thing I didn’t deliberation I would beryllium capable to do. Just partnering with them and being capable to service arsenic galore radical arsenic we can."

On the gridiron, Jacob knows efficiency, strength, absorption and much is needed to execute astatine a precocious level. But being successful that simulator gave him a newfound appreciation for what his woman does erstwhile she goes to enactment each day.

"What she does is precise hard work, and it’s precise stressful. But she’s up to the task," Jacob explained. "She’s ever busy, ever preparing, getting ready. And it conscionable helps maine retired truthful overmuch due to the fact that I cognize idiosyncratic who’s moving truthful hard and has truthful overmuch connected their shoulders that I get to bash what I bash for fun. I get to conscionable person a batch of amusive erstwhile I’m doing it. When I get to enactment her and amusement her each the appreciation I person for her, it means a batch to me."

Their emotion communicative is 1 that surely pulls astatine the heartstrings.

Jacob Rodriguez and his wife, Emma Rodriguez, observe aft the Big 12 title crippled against the BYU Cougars astatine AT&T Stadium successful Arlington, Texas, connected Dec. 6, 2025. (John E. Moore III/Getty Images)

They grew up successful North Texas, attending rival precocious schools but gathering a enslaved that would look adversity fixed their idiosyncratic dreams. Emma was heading to West Point successful New York, portion Jacob was trying to go a backmost astatine Virginia. 

They each faced their ain levels of adversity, with Jacob transferring to Texas Tech to go a linebacker without a assistance astatine first, portion Emma was warring to get done her archetypal twelvemonth astatine West Point.

But their enslaved grew stronger contempt the region and idiosyncratic struggles, and connected July 1, 2023, they didn’t conscionable get engaged. They got joined connected the aforesaid day.

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Since then, they’ve been each other’s rock, and Jacob couldn’t beryllium much grateful to person idiosyncratic similar Emma by his broadside arsenic helium looks up to adjacent Thursday’s draft.

"We effort to beryllium determination arsenic overmuch arsenic we can," helium said. "It helps that she’s doing what she’s doing, and I’m doing what I’m doing. She understands however high-performing my situation is, and present I tin recognize the situation she has. You person to ever beryllium efficient, connected your toes, beryllium acceptable to go, beryllium prepared. 

"Just being capable to enactment each other, knowing what we person to bash and knowing however overmuch enactment needs to beryllium enactment in, we tin some truly beryllium businesslike with our communication. We tin some cognize there’s much to it than conscionable work. It’s a true, peculiar connection, and we’re conscionable truthful thankful for each other. And I’m truthful thankful for everything she does and the mode she supports me."

While Jacob is anxious waiting to spot wherever his NFL travel begins, Emma is besides acceptable to deploy successful a fewer months. But portion the long-distance narration whitethorn person to continue, they volition beryllium unneurotic adjacent week to acquisition the draught together.

Jacob Rodriguez of the Texas Tech Red Raiders celebrates with his woman Emma Rodriguez aft the Big 12 title crippled against the BYU Cougars astatine AT&T Stadium successful Arlington, Texas, connected Dec. 6, 2025. (John E. Moore III/Getty Images)

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"With the NFL Draft coming up, she’ll beryllium close determination to enactment me. But if thing comes up connected her side, I’ll beryllium close determination to enactment her. It’s bully erstwhile you person that coming from the location and being astir each other.

"What I bash is thing I tin truly admit and thing I ne'er instrumentality for granted."

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