Cade Stover: AthleteAnd Farmer
When Cade Stover steps away from the football field, you’ll find him in a different kind of uniform — boots covered in mud, hands gripping the wheel of a tractor, and a quiet determination that runs as deep as his roots in Mansfield, Ohio.
“Farming isn’t really a job to me,” Stover says. “It’s a lifestyle. It’s all I’ve ever known — and honestly, it’s all I’ve ever cared about outside of football.”
From the time he was five years old, Stover was already a part of the family operation. Growing up, he worked on the farm his dad, a first-generation farmer, bought himself.
Stover’s mom, Chelsi, said he fit right into the lifestyle.
“[Cade] never complained,” she recalled. “Even as a little boy, he just wanted to help. He was a natural.”
That early love for the land and long hours built a foundation that has stayed with Stover through every chapter of his life — from Ohio State to the NFL, and now back to where it all began.
In 2025, a dream Stover had since he was a teenager finally became a reality. A farm that he used to help on just three miles from where his family’s farm was finally available for purchase.
“It’s been my screensaver since high school,” Stover said with a smile. “Every time I’d open my phone, I’d see that picture and remind myself: that’s the goal. That’s what you’re working for.”
Stover explained that buying the big plot of land after wanting it for so many years was emotional for him and his family.
“When it happened, I was in tears,” he admitted. “It was something I’d wanted my whole life. That moment — and getting drafted — were two of the most special moments I’ve ever had.”
Now, the land tells his story.
Old silos stand tall as reminders of the past and the machinery around the farm — a collection of John Deere tractors, balers, and combines — speaks to both tradition and progress.
Some of it, like his great-grandfather’s old tractor, carry deep sentimental value. Others, like modern equipment, represent how his passion for farming continues to evolve.
For Stover, farming and football aren’t as different as they might seem.
“There’s definitely a correlation,” he said. “In both, you get out what you put in. The harder you work, the better you prepare, the better the results. It’s all about consistency, care and discipline.”
That mindset — built on years of early mornings and hard labor — has shaped the player and person he’s become.
“To think that this little boy who always said, ‘I just want to farm,’ is actually doing it now… it’s emotional,” his mom said. “He once wrote down, ‘I want to play in the NFL and I want to farm.’ And he’s living both of those dreams.”
Most fans know Cade Stover as the tight end for the Houston Texans. But when he’s home, surrounded by the hum of tractors and the quiet rhythm of life on the land, that’s when he feels most like himself.
“A lot of people know me for football,” he said. “But if someone comes up to me and says, ‘You’ve got a great group of calves’ or ‘I’ve never seen a farm like yours’ — that means the world to me. Football’s my day job. But this… this is my passion.”
The NFLPA joined Stover for a day on the farm. You can watch the full video here.
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