‘Drawn Closest to Him’: Patriots’ Eli Raridon, Wife Trust God After Losing Baby Boy
New England Patriots rookie tight end Eli Raridon and his wife, Anna, are currently going through unimaginable pain and heartache after losing their baby boy. However, as they walk through this dark and agonizing valley, the couple is relying on their faith and has placed their trust in the Lord and His comfort.
The Raridons released a joint post on Instagram on Wednesday detailing how their son, James James Raridon, was born on Sept. 11 but had been diagnosed with, anencephaly, fatal condition in utero and was not “expected to survive outside the womb,” Church Leaders reported.
“While we are absolutely devastated that we were unable to bring our baby boy home, I am grateful to have loved him deeply, kept him safe, and had been his home for the past 9 months before he was called back to Heaven,” wrote Anna.
“I have often found it easy to glorify the Lord when life is going well, but it is in our deepest trials that we are drawn closest to Him,” she added. “We may never understand the why behind this journey, but one thing we know with certainty is that God promises to care for His children.”
Anna maintained that Peter “was lovingly knitted together in the womb by God, knowing how deeply he would be loved by our families, our friends, Eli, and me.”
“Though his time with us was brief, his life still precious, his purpose still meaningful, and he will forever be a part of our story,” she added.
In closing, Anna told Peter, “I have loved you every second of your life & will miss you every second of mine. What a sweet sweet reunion ours will be🤍.”
She added several Scriptures following her caption, including 1 Peter 1:5–7 and James 1:2-4, which emphasize growing in faith amid trials.
Eli Raridon, 24, played collegiately for the Irish at the University of Notre Dame. Of course, this was before he was selected by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft. He married his high school sweetheart, Anna, in May 2025.
Like his wife, Anna, Eli has been outspoken about his faith, including how he surrendered his life to Christ and grew in his faith after enduring two ACL tears within two years.
“Those injuries were some of the hardest things I’ve had to go through,” Raridon shared at the NFL Draft combine in February. “You know, I was used to football being my whole life. And when it gets taken away from you for pretty much two years, it’s really hard. And, you know, I just took a step back.”
“Most importantly, I really started diving into my faith. Gave my life to Jesus, surrendered to Jesus, knowing I’m not in control, and that was extremely important for my mental health and just for me as a person. That’s completely changed me as a person,” he added.
Following his selection in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft by the Patriots, Eli publicly gave glory to Christ during a press conference and explained how his faith strengthened him mentally despite his injuries.
“Yeah, a lot of my mental strength resided in my faith, trusting the Lord, trusting that he has a plan for me. And just to put everything I have into the sport, and if it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out. But it has worked out, and I just have all my faith in him. And I just play free out there, I'm not worried about anything.”
Photo Credit: ©Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Originally published October 01, 2026.
