Former Broncos Cheerleader Berkleigh Wright Reveals a ‘Boy’ Has Her Rooting for New NFL Team

We caught up with the SI Swimsuit model, who recently moved to Los Angeles, at an event at the Dante Beverly Hills last night.

Berkleigh Wright / Jason Sean Weiss/BFA.com

Berkleigh Wright is officially a Los Angeles girlie! The 2024 SI Swimsuit rookie, who grew up in Kansas and moved to Colorado when she was hired as an NFL cheerleader for the Denver Broncos, just said goodbye to the squad after seven years as part of the organization (five on the field). This year was a major one for the model, who is also a full-time account manager at tech company Oracle. In addition to co-winning the Swim Search open casting call and traveling to Belize for her debut photo shoot with Derek Kettela (which was her “highlight” of 2024) she also turned 30 and moved states, evolving away from cheerleading and hoping to lean more into modeling.

We caught up with Wright, who is represented by Ford Model and One Management, last night on the red carpet at the Dante Beverly Hills as SI Swimsuit celebrated its 60th anniversary on the West Coast. We obviously had to ask if she’s still a Broncos fan or if she‘s now cheering (remotely) for the Los Angeles Rams.

Berkleigh Wright / Jason Sean Weiss/BFA.com

“We are still rooting for the Broncos...but there’s another team because there’s a boy involved. An East Coast team, but I’m not going to say [which],” she teased, adding that she’s excited to watch the Buffalo Bills and the Kansas City Chiefs face off this weekend. “The Chiefs need to lose. Sorry. That’s one I’m most excited [to watch]. I think that the Bills would be the one to take down the Chiefs. The whole world is rooting for the [Chiefs] to lose right now. But, sorry to anyone out there [who is a Chiefs fan.]”

The former cheer captain reflected on her journey with the Broncos in a conversation with SI Swimsuit in the summer. Last night she reiterated the fact that while her decision to leave cheerleading was a hard one, she knew it was time, and is happy with her choice.

“This was such a pivotal year for me. I feel like [SI Swimsuit] helped me come out of my shell and also just like realize my potential and everything else that I wanted to do. I think I was reaching the peak of my cheerleading career. I was ready to take the next step. I took a leap of faith and moved to LA and I just couldn’t be happier. I feel good. I’m like working off of momentum and just excited to see everything the future holds,” she continues, noting that her confidence has also grown so much in 2024. “I think the people that I’ve met through [SI Swimsuit] have helped with that because we all lift each other up and help each other realize our potential and strengths. We guide each other.”

Cheerleader Berkleigh Wright for the Denver Broncos / Justin Edmonds/Getty Images

Wright also shares that working with the brand and starring in the magazine helped her learn that authenticity and being herself are actually her “superpower[s].”