This is Stephanie Niles: Bengals’ backup QB Jake Browning’s fiancée

On Sunday, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow left their game against the Jacksonville Jaguars with a toe injury. Jake Browning took over and immediately led the team to a dramatic 31-27 victory. His presence in the game put the spotlight on someone else too though - Stephanie Niles, Browning’s fiancée.

Who is Stephanie Niles?

As Burrow is out for at least the next three months, it looks like we’ll be seeing a lot more of Browning and Niles. So let’s learn a bit about Browning’s number one fan.

Niles was born in Hong Kong, raised in Shanghai, and moved to the U.S. in 2005. She and Browning have been together since May 2018 after meeting at a fraternity pool party at the University of Washington. She graduated in 2018 and the two stayed together when he signed with the Minnesota Vikings in 2019 as an undrafted free agent, although she moved to New York immediately after graduation, where she became an accountant.

In May 2023, Browning reflected on their relationship in a post on Instagram.

“Remember when we agreed we weren’t going to date? Or when we finally started dating we agreed we were going to break up when you moved to NYC in 2018 … ? 5 years, 4 different time zones and 14 different moves later here we are,” he wrote. “Whether it’s a fancy dinner party or a dive bar in Folsom, you move through life with a contagious energy and I can’t imagine where’d I’d be without my mob wife. Love you pimp.”

Browning briefly took over for Burrow after an injury in 2023 as well, and much like Sunday, Niles made waves on social media for her gameday ‘fit.

Since then, the couple has continued going strong. Browning and Niles got engaged in 2024.

Niles co-founded a luxury swimwear brand

But Niles isn’t just a WAG. She actually is the co-founder of a luxury sustainable swimwear label called 7th Street Swim. The brand was born out of the pandemic when Niles was working long days in a Big 4 accounting job in NYC.

She used the downtime and reflection forced by COVID to ask what made her happiest - beach days with friends - and decided to build a brand that captured that feeling. She and partner Emma launched the label after Emma was laid off, finding momentum and mutual support in taking the leap together.

Niles is a fashionista, often showing off her gameday outfits on her Instagram. Expect to see a lot more from her this season.

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