Where have I seen this? NFL borrows Jaguars script idea for 2023 season hype video

• The NFL asked Keegan-Michael Key to appear in their hype video for the 2023 season.

• The final product looks very similar to the one the Jaguars made for the schedule release.

Feb 10, 2022; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Keegan-Michael Key appears on the red carpet prior to the NFL.
Feb 10, 2022; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Keegan-Michael Key appears on the red carpet prior to the NFL. / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
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You probably remember Asher Grodman was the Jacksonville Jaguars put together one of the best schedule release announcements in June. The Jags went with former running back Arian Foster's comments that the game was scripted and based the video around the idea. It was pretty well executed. Even if you were a fan of an opposing team, you probably enjoyed it.

More recently, you have probably watched the skit the NFL put together for the regular season and it has a striking resemblance with the one Grodman did. Heck, you could even say they recycled Grodman's idea.

The league just release their video for the 2023 season. Just like the Jaguars, they had an actor/director, this time Keegan-Michael Key, leading a meeting in which players and writers decide how the season will play out. Ja'Marr Chase, Kirk Cousins, Patrick Mahomes, DK Metcalf and Justin Fields make cameos.

Coincidentally, there are no Jaguars players in the video. If anyone had appeared, they would've recognized how similar it is to the Grodman had previously filmed.

The NFL liked what the Jaguars did for the 2023 schedule release

You have probably heard about parallel thinking; two people having the same idea at the same time. This isn't such case. The Jags shared theirs more than two months ago while the league just released theirs. Having said that, saying the league stole the idea would be a reach.

Sure, they rolled with the same concept but gave it their own different spin. In the Jaguars' video, Asher Grodman is coaching players and talking about the challenges of writing the script. It also has a documentary/mockumentary kind of vibe going on. Safety Andrew Wingard, wide receiver Zay Jones, and head coach Doug Pederson react to being part of the skit.

Meanwhile, Keegan-Michael Key, along with players and writers, is brainstorming any potential ideas for the NFL season. That's it. You could most definitely make the case the league's social media department borrowed Grodman's idea and ran with it, so in a way, they found a good idea and put their own spin on it.

In the end, both videos aren't built around the same concept but they're distinct enough from each other. They're meant to be fun and If you liked the one the Jags put together, you most likely enjoyed the one the league made.

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