Verzuz is now working with the National Football League. The popular online music series, which started during the COVID-19 pandemic, has entered into a partnership with the league for “NFL Pro Bowl VERZUZ presented by Verizon.”
NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders and NFL Network’s MJ Acosta-Ruiz are hosting the event. Pro Bowl players Deshaun Watson, Jamal Adams, Budda Baker, DeAndre Hopkins, Jalen Ramsey, Cameron Jordan, and Myles Garrett will take part in specific categories focusing on both on-field and off-field highlights.
“I’m looking forward to seeing the players go head to head with their highlights! These guys are icons just like the artists, let’s give them their flowers,” says Verzuz co-producer Swizz Beatz. His partner, Timbaland, adds, “Verzuz partnering with the NFL made sense for us with culture, sports, and music being so aligned.”
The NFL Pro Bowl Verzuz line-up has some serious star power. 🤩
Next week, Pro Bowl players will face off in the ultimate highlight competition. Stay tuned, full schedule & match-ups coming Monday.#NFLProBowlVerzuz | @verzuzonline
@verzuzsports pic.twitter.com/n2xGf78RxA
— VERZUZ TV (@verzuzonline) January 25, 2021
Beginning January 26 at 8 pm ET, the four-day competition will be presented on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and other platforms. Elements of the “NFL Pro Bowl Verzuz” will also be featured during the ESPN/ABC simulcast of the “2021 Pro Bowl Celebration” on January 31 at 3 pm ET.
“Our Social and Influencer programs are centered around developing innovative concepts that help expand the reach of NFL players as well as our game to younger and more casual audiences. This opportunity to connect the NFL Pro Bowl with Verzuz for the first time is a perfect continuation of our strategy and something we believe both the fans and players will enjoy,” said Tim Ellis, NFL EVP & Chief Marketing Officer.
Ellis continues, “Through this collaboration, elite Pro Bowl players will get an opportunity to directly engage with fans in real-time in a friendly debate of their career highlights, in an array of diverse categories that will show that our players’ personalities off the field are just as fun and entertaining as their extraordinary talents on the field.”