Red flag?
Salley Carson is shooting her shot at Cooper DeJean— despite the Philadelphia Eagles player being linked to Nikki Bella.
“I just slid into Cooper DeJean’s [DMs],” the “Southern Charm” star, 31, said on the “Not Skinny But Not Fat” podcast Tuesday, describing the athlete as a “football player for the Eagles” and a “little 22-year-old.”
Carson also noted to host Amanda Hirsh that DeJean, 23, is “dating, or not dating, casually seeing a 43-year-old right now,” referencing Bella, 42.
DeJean and Bella have been at the center of dating rumors since late 2025.
“I sent him the article and was like, ‘Are you dating her?’” Carson recounted, before admitting that it wasn’t her first time trying to “slide” into his life, as they’ve been “liking” each other’s Instagram pics.
“I have his number. I think he’s so cute,” Carson confessed. “He’s going to kill me.”
The Bravo vet recalled even “liking” a post about DeJean and Bella “possibly dating” at one point.
“Then I went to his page [and thought], ‘Oh, he’s super cute,’” Carson detailed. “I was like, ‘Maybe he’s into older women if he’s dating her.’ Then I liked his photo and he liked three of mine. Then I DM’d him. Then he DM’d me back.”
The “Southern Hospitality” alum recalled, “He DM’d me back pretty quickly,” adding she was “shocked when he replied back” because he boasts over 1.1 million Instagram followers.
“I told him ‘happy birthday’ like two days ago,” she stated.
However, according to the reality star, the duo has yet to meet in real life.
“I would love to meet him if he’s not dating her,” Carson gushed. “There’s all these articles that they are dating but he in all of his interviews is [saying] ‘no.’”
“Now I’m scared because that girl is going to beat my ass if they are dating,” she teased.
Hirsch, 37, told Carson not to worry as the WWE star is “fake beating ass.”
“OK, she can throw me around,” the “Bachelor” alum teased.
Earlier this month, Bella seemed to confirm her romance with DeJean after weeks of buzz.
The wrestling star addressed the speculation as she and her sister, Brie Bella, made their joint WWE return for the “Royal Rumble.”
Social media clips from the segment showed the twins entering the ring and immediately receiving a resounding round of boos from the crowd.
“Is that for the Eagles not getting in the Super Bowl or for us?” Bella, who finalized her divorce from Artem Chigvintsev in December 2025, asked.
“I actually think they’re saying ‘Coop,’” Brie teased back.
Bella clapped back, “Can you blame a girl for having good taste? I mean, Pro Bowl, baby.”
A source previously told TMZ in January that the reality star was casually dating DeJean, noting that Nikki was still “very single” at the time.
The dating rumors began in December 2025 after Nikki posted an Instagram Reel of herself attending an Eagles vs. Las Vegas Raiders game.
Her post also featured pics of her striking a pose in front of DeJean’s locker and looking cozy with the athlete while celebrating the team’s win.
Later that month, Bella added fuel to the fire after she shared a video of herself walking through Lincoln Financial Field stadium in DeJean’s jersey.
She turned off her comments section and captioned the video: “Walking into Sunday like…. 🦅🔥. Been there, WON that.” 🙌🏼 #flyeaglesfly.”
However, it appears things have since cooled down as DeJean has dodged any talk of Nikki in various interviews and was spotted leaving a Super Bowl party with a mystery brunette earlier this month.
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