Mystery Man Behind NFL’s “Rigged” Super Bowl Graphic Breaks His Silence & Exposes Requests From Stars
This article was originally published on Total Pro Sports.
The NFL rarely lets a good meme go to waste. This week, the league leaned directly into one of its own.
A new video started circulating from the league’s official account, opening on a shadowy figure sitting in a dimly lit chair. His voice comes out distorted, his face stays hidden throughout.
“I’m starting to get attention from NFL players,” the mystery man says.
He’s revealed to be the artist behind the league’s annual Road to the Super Bowl graphic, and apparently, business has picked up.
The Original Graphic Sparked Months Of Conspiracy Talk
Last September, the NFL posted its usual preseason illustration, showing players from all 32 teams marching toward the Lombardi Trophy. Stars like Saquon Barkley, Patrick Mahomes, Brock Purdy, and Joe Burrow stood front and center in the image.
Two quarterbacks standing at the very front barely registered at the time. Sam Darnold and Drake Maye were tucked near the back with modest playoff odds, far from the spotlight surrounding the league’s biggest names.
Everything changed months later when Darnold’s Seahawks and Maye’s Patriots both punched tickets to Super Bowl LX. Fans zoomed in on the old graphic and declared the league had scripted the whole season, forcing NFL communications VP Brian McCarthy to publicly deny any “controversy” over the image.
Players Have Started Making Their Pitch For Next Year
That backstory sets up the joke behind this week’s ad. “I’m about to make thirty teams pretty upset,” the artist says, teasing this year’s placement decisions.
Real players then chime in with their pitches. A Josh Hines-Allen jokes, “It’s all good if you don’t put me at the front,” while Brian Burns insists, “Spider gotta be in the front.” Falcons star Bijan Robinson was pretty direct.
“Hey put me up front,” he urged.
Whether or not this year’s graphic actually means anything, the league clearly knows a good bit when it sees one. Fans will likely spend the next few months zooming in on jersey numbers all over again.
