In 1986, Esiason married his wife, Cheryl. They have two children, son Gunnar and daughter Sydney. Sydney is married to New York Islanders forward Matt Martin. While at a Jets mini-camp in 1993, Esiason was notified that two-year-old Gunnar had to be taken to the hospital with breathing difficulties. Soon after, Gunnar was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis. Gunnar is a graduate of Boston College who undergoes daily treatments and takes cystic fibrosis medications. He was a quarterback for his high school football team at Friends Academy in Locust Valley, NY, and played forward on his ice hockey team for the Manhasset/Roslyn varsity hockey team. Gunnar also writes a popular blog and appears daily in a podcast discussing the issues confronting cystic fibrosis patients.