Retired NFL quarterbacks and sports media stars Peyton and Eli Manning will compete in a field-goal kicking competition for FanDuel.
FanDuel, which has missed the mark in two attempts to turn a celebrity field-goal stunt into a Super Bowl sensation, will try again this year with new participants—Peyton and Eli Manning.
The retired NFL quarterbacks and sports media stars will compete head-to-head in a field-goal kicking competition as part of the sportsbook’s “Kick of Destiny 3” Super Bowl ad, according to social posts by the brand Friday.
The teaser video shows Eli Manning confessing to a childhood dream of being a kicker, and getting teased by his older brother Peyton. Wieden+Kennedy handled the creative.
Like its two forebears, the “Kick of Destiny 3” will include a contest for FanDuel customers to choose a winner on its app, FanDuel said. Those who make the right choice will split a share of $10 million in “bonus bets”—bet credits that only pay out winnings.
FanDuel is the largest U.S. sportsbook app with a 35% market share, according to Eilers & Krejcik Gaming figures published in the gaming industry publication The Lines. FanDuel is the first sportsbook platform to confirm an ad buy for the 2025 game.
The brand has advertised in the Super Bowl twice, both times featuring retired NFL tight end Rob Gronkowski attempting a 25-yard field goal. But neither attempt went quite right.
In 2023, Gronkowski’s kick—advertised to have paid out $10 million in bonus bets if it were successful—missed wide left. (The brand paid out the award anyway). The kick took place during a live third-quarter Super Bowl ad break.
In 2024, the brand intended to ratchet up the excitement, allowing fans to bet on Gronkowski either making or missing the attempt, which would be held during the Super Bowl pregame show. FanDuel’s Super Bowl ad would then celebrate either result. Weiden+Kennedy prepared ads for both eventualities, along with an action-movie-sequel-worthy buildup with heroes and villains rooting for and against the kicker.
The stunt, however, took a tragic turn when actor Carl Weathers, who played Gronkowski’s trainer in the hype campaign, died on Feb. 1, just 11 days before the Big Game. That sent creators scrambling to remake the ads, which aired with a posthumous cameo and on-screen tribute to Weathers.
