Brady, Rice, Marino and Other NFL Legends 'Unretire' for PepsiCo

Fittingly, Tom Brady gets the last word on "Unretirement" in PepsiCo's 2023 NFL kickoff campaign that puts legends back on the field in exceptionally funny fashion.

No. 12 and his pals Julian Edelman, Dan Marino, Randy Moss, Jerry Rice and Emmitt Smith may have a few grey hairs and extra pounds these days. But they're raring to go, trading on their gridiron fame to hype cola, snacks and so forth in a :60 developed by Pepsi's D3 team with Superprime director Rick Famuyiwa.

Current superstar Josh Allen's in there, too. He'll retire one day. So fine.

Sports icons front commercials all time, but this work feels in tune with adland's year-long nostalgia craze. Many of us grew up with these dudes. Their exploits enhanced the fabric of our lives as sure as any hit song or TV series.

Now that we're older, it's comforting, in a way, to watch them age with grace (or an exaggerated lack thereof). Brands want them in ads, so they're still relevant. By extension, in a sense, we're still relevant, too.

Maybe that's overthinking. If so, perhaps it's enough to grin as Dan the Man dons reading glasses to peep the plays, and World asks a stadium vendor for a senior discount.

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video

Oh, Tom, you'll be back. Perhaps as the first Hall of Famer to play after his induction. Have you considered the Pats? They could use a fresh arm.

"Our products go hand in hand with football, and with the start of the new NFL season, we knew fans would be getting their pantries and fridges stocked up to cheer on their favorite teams," Chris Bellinger, VP or creative and digital at PepsiCo Foods N.A., tells Muse.

"We wanted to show that even just the crunch of a chip or pop of a can help you get lost in the excitement," he says. "They can even inspire NFL legends to hit the field again."

This notion of equating sports and snacks drove cute ads from PepsiCo's Lay's featuring Lionel Messi and Thierry Henry. The NFL work employs the same strategy for football, amping up the star power.

"Fans of our products and the NFL span multiple generations and parts of the country," Bellinger says. "We wanted to provide smiles with every sip and every bite, so we were very intentional with the legends we selected, the teams we represented, the music we picked to make sure that there was something that everyone could get excited about when they watched the spot."

The shoot proved energizing and enjoyable for the cast and creatives.

"When the guys first came out dressed in their uniforms, for the first time in years if not decades, the whole crew started clapping and cheering," Bellinger says. "It was great to watch their eyes light up at that unscripted moment of appreciation. But also, all of them were saying how they forgot how uncomfortable the uniforms were."

At one point, he complimented Marino on his appearance in the 1994 comedy Ace Venture: Pet Detective. "He lit up and said, 'My best work!'" Bellinger recalls. While Rice "sat with the agency and brand teams to watch the footage, fully suited up in his NFL gear. He was in our director's chairs and playfully 'Monday morning quarterbacked' the performances of his cast-mates."

As for the close with Brady and Edelman, "We couldn’t keep a straight face as those guys just went back and forth with adlibs. We could've made a whole 2-minute spot of just the outtakes!"

What's stopping you? They'll be too busy to film new commercials once they unretire for real.

Frito-LayBrett O’Brien, Chief Marketing OfficerTina Mahal, Marketing Senior Vice PresidentJames Wade, Marketing Senior DirectorKyle Ahrendsen, Marketing Senior ManagerSpencer Bryson, Marketing ManagerEcho Li, Marketing Insights ManagerLindsey Smith, External Communications ManagerDan Cohen, External Communications Senior DirectorNatalie Stormer, Legal Associate SpecialistJeanette Zimmer, Legal Senior DirectorMarie Tsang, Media Manager

PepsiCo Beverages North AmericaGreg Lyons, Chief Marketing OfficerStacy Taffet, Marketing Senior Vice PresidentGreg Herman, Marketing Senior DirectorAmanda Mendel Zamore, Marketing DirectorLizzy Hlad, Marketing Associate ManagerEmily Tobias, Media Marketing Senior ManagerCaitlin Winsor, Media Marketing DirectorMelissa Duhaime, Sports Marketing DirectorSophia Omuemu, Sports Marketing ManagerNora Quartaro, External Communications Senior DirectorKristen Mueller, External Communications Senior DirectorAli Meade, External Communications DirectorTaylor Heath, External Communications Associate ManagerMireya Iglesias-Ayala, Marketing Senior AnalystMichael Lazar, eComm Marketing LeadDavid Wexler, Legal Senior DirectorCarolyn Fazzinga, Legal Senior Assistant Jill Bilotta, Legal AssistantKelly Lasaponara, Sr. Legal SpecialistGary White, Consumer Relations Associate Manager

D3Chris Bellinger, VP Creative & Digital PepsiCoTammy Schilling, Creative DirectorKatheryn Renfroe, Sr. Associate Creative DirectorEric Snodgrass, Associate Creative DirectorNick Scott, Associate Creative DirectorRich Rodriguez, Sr. Marketing DirectorElizabeth Baldwin, Sr. Associate Account DirectorMadelyn Bane, Account SupervisorDan Watson, ProducerJames Clarke, Sr. Director, Digital & Social Ruchie Singh, Social Media DirectorLauren Kozar, Associate Social Director

KetchumVice President, Manuela GouldManaging Account Supervisor, Natalie Houck-MeloniAccount Supervisor, Kelsey KolisekSenior Account Executive, Katharine MoreyAssistant Account Executive, Javen JoergerAssistant Account Executive, Eden McColl

GenescoLaura Sipes, Sports Marketing VPKatelyn Krommenhoek, Sports Marketing Analyst

Direct Focus, IncBarry Rosen, CEO & Founder

OMD Zach Garbiso, Senior Director Integrated Planning Valentina Cooper, Manager Integrated Planning Blaine Thompson, Associate Director Optimum Sports

SuperprimeDirector, Rick FamuyiwaManaging Director / EP, Rebecca SkinnerManaging Director/Head of Sales, Michelle RossExecutive Producer, Kate LeahyHead of Production / EP, Matt SandersProducer, William Green

The DenEditor, Christian JordanJr. Editor, Jake SwartzSr. Cutting Assistant, Nic WatkinsSr. Executive Producer, Jennifer MersisHead of Production, Kristina ThoegersenSenior Producer, Jessica Davis

The Mill Executive Creative Director, Matt FullerManaging Director / EP, Anastasia Von RahlSr. Post Producer, Mari SuarezBLR Producer, Noan John VinodAssociate Producer, Abby SiegelShoot Supervisor, John Leonti2D Lead Artist, Lane Jolly3D Lead Artist, Zsolt KrajcsikMatte Painting, Bill LuColorist, Paul YaconoSenior Color Producer, Denise Brown

Audio: JSMChief Creative Officer, Joel SimonExecutive Producer, Jeff FiorelloSenior Producer, Norm FelkerSenior Producer, Andrew ManningProducer, Sharon ChaMixer, Bryan Gold