NFL's Allison Kuch and Isaac Rochell on the holidays, parenting and more

The facilitator Allison Kuch and her husband, an NFL free agent Isaac Rochellthey have a lot to look forward to this holiday season with their daughter, Scottie.

“I feel like the holidays are going to be very special, and I love the holidays to begin with,” said Kuch, 29, while speaking to. Us Weekly exclusively at the Finish Holiday Dinner in New York City, where the couple created their Mac & Cheese x Corn Bread mashup recipe. “I think what we want to share with him, even when he grows up he may not understand it now… [it’s an] open door policy. So, I'm happy about that.”

Rochell, 29, added that nothing “brings people together” like a child, she says Us“I'm thinking of him, seeing the family there is great.”

The two, who have been married since 2021, welcomed Scottie in December 2023. One month before becoming parents, the couple hit an unexpected roadblock when Rochell was released from the Las Vegas Raiders. His free agency, however, came with a silver lining.

“It's like what's the worst case scenario that I don't get signed? Having my daughter at home,” he explained, saying Us he is “very thankful” for the extra time he was able to spend with Scottie. “For example, in the training camp, I would have gone six weeks in a row. I really wasn't going to waste time [with her]because I wouldn't sign in just one place, so it would be a lot of time away from him.”

He continued, “Especially as he gets older, as he keeps getting older, and I'm like, 'Man, I'm so thankful we got to spend so much time with him.'

Kuch agreed, joking that she “never thought” gratitude would be one of the emotions she felt after her husband lost his job. “Of course, I really appreciate all the time we have,” he said Us. “You learn something new every day.”

Rochell was drafted by the Los Angeles Chargers in 2017 and stayed with the team for three years before moving to the Indianapolis Colts. He played briefly with the Cleveland Browns in 2022, signing with the Raiders shortly after his contract with the Browns was terminated.

For years, Rochell and Kuch planned their lives around football season, but the athlete's free agency changed their usual schedule. While Kuch admits he sometimes misses the “cadence” of the NFL season, he welcomes the change ahead of the holidays.

“For the past seven years, we have spent all our holidays with Isaac's teammates who have become friends and family,” she said. “But now we have a different holiday with our daughter, and I know our whole family will want to go out on their first holidays. So it will be different, but I think it will be very different. “

Rochell pointed out that, including his college career, “I've been really there during the holidays for 11 years.” He has also played on Christmas Day, and Kuch is happy that it will not be the case this year.

“That was lonely,” he said with a laugh. “So if you're not in the group, I'm looking forward to not spending the holidays alone.”

Kuch has previously been open about her husband's possible retirement from the NFL, insisting on a recent episode of his “Sunday Sports Club” podcast that there's “no real benefit” to him hanging up on him right now. He told Us that free agency has been a “difficult situation” for the couple, but they are trying to make the most of their time together as a family.

“Maybe I will be signed tomorrow, I don't know,” explained Rochell Us. “But considering I'm not signed, I'm looking forward to being there with the people [during the holidays].”

Rochell may not be hitting the field himself this time of the football season, but he and Kuch still incorporate the game into their festive traditions. “We're still a sports family,” Kuch said Us. “We both love watching football, so it will be on TV.”

While preparing for Thanksgiving, Christmas and beyond, Kuch and Rochell collaborated on a recipe that puts Finch Ultimate to the test even in the toughest cleaning conditions – from burnt levels to dishwasher and hard water – without pre-rinsing. “They're Isaac's two favorite dishes,” Kuch said Us of Mac & Cheese x Corn Bread mashup. “He was like, 'You know, it sounds perfect together.'

Rochell added that bringing together “two holiday classics” felt “just right,” jokingly referring to his wife as a “backseat cook.”

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