2026 NFL season kicks off with player-packed campaign
Featuring Travis Hunter, Rome Odunze, Bijan Robinson, Dexter Lawrence II and more, The Season Is Your Stage highlights football's iconic "cellys” and their power in pop culture.
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The NFL debuted its 2026 Kickoff brand campaign, The Season Is Your Stage, highlighting touchdown dances, signature celebrations and memorable moments that have become a defining part of football.
The campaign reflects the shared excitement and joy that make the start of every NFL season a moment worth celebrating.
At the heart of the energy-filled campaign are celebration dances, also known as "cellys,” which are displays of player creativity that embody both the excitement of football and the sport’s broader impact on culture. Cellys unite players and fans around the world through shared moments of self-expression and joy, turning unforgettable on-field celebrations into off-the-field trends that resonate across pop culture.
The Season Is Your Stage, created in partnership with 72andSunny, features some of the NFL's most dynamic personalities, including Bijan Robinson (Atlanta Falcons), Kyle Pitts (Atlanta Falcons), Dion Dawkins (Buffalo Bills), James Cook (Buffalo Bills), Luther Burden (Chicago Bears), Rome Odunze (Chicago Bears), Dexter Lawrence (Cincinnati Bengals), Nico Collins (Houston Texans), Cam Bynum (Indianapolis Colts) and Travis Hunter (Jacksonville Jaguars).
Imagining what happens before the season begins, the NFL built a fictional life-sized “Celly Studio,” where players rehearse their celebrations or cellys before they’re unveiled on the field. Bynum, known for choreographing some of the most viral cellys, is deemed “NFL Celly Coordinator,” helping the guys perfect their moves, from hip movements to body rolls. The video spotlights some of the most memorable celebrations, such as Lawrence's "Sexy Dexy” and the "Bynum Bounce," and the sugarcane bushes from the Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show featuring Bad Bunny even make a cameo, nodding to the cultural power the NFL.
"With the season just around the corner, we wanted to highlight one of football’s most joyful and recognisable forms of self-expression, moments that begin on the field and resonate far beyond it,” said Marissa Solis, NFL senior vice president of global brand and consumer marketing. “Football is at its best when fuelled by passion, personality and creativity, and The Season Is Your Stage invites fans everywhere to embrace the energy and unforgettable moments that make each season uniquely special."
Credits
View on- Agency 72andSunny/Los Angeles
- Chief Creative Officer Zach Hilder
- Talent Bijan Robinson
- Talent Kyle Pitts
- Talent Dion Dawkins
- Talent James Cook
- Talent Luther Burden
- Talent Rome Odunze
- Talent Dexter Lawrence
- Talent Nico Collins
- Talent Cam Bynum
- Talent
Explore full credits, grab hi-res stills and more on shots Vault
Credits
powered by- Agency 72andSunny/Los Angeles
- Chief Creative Officer Zach Hilder
- Talent Bijan Robinson
- Talent Kyle Pitts
- Talent Dion Dawkins
- Talent James Cook
- Talent Luther Burden
- Talent Rome Odunze
- Talent Dexter Lawrence
- Talent Nico Collins
- Talent Cam Bynum
- Talent
The Kickoff campaign’s celly theme will extend beyond the spot through two gaming-focused activations.
Zach Hilder, Chief Creative Officer, 72andSunny Los Angeles, added, “Every great celly starts somewhere, so we created the Celly Studio so players can cook up, test out and dial in the moves they’ll be flexing all season long. Players and fans love a good celebration, and no brand highlights the fans and athletes who build the league's culture better than the NFL.”
On Roblox, signature celebration dances from players, including Nico Collins, Cam Bynum, Dexter Lawrence and Travis Hunter, will come to life inside NFL Universe Football, developed by Voldex. Featured dances may be earned through gameplay or purchased. Fans will be able to perform the moves themselves while personalising their avatars with select players’ names, numbers and likenesses, bringing the campaign to one of the largest platforms among the NFL’s youngest, most active fans.
Additionally, NFL Race to the Endzone, the award-winning, gaming-inspired YouTube series from the NFL and Livewire that pairs NFL players with top gaming creators, is back for a second season. This year, the celly theme runs through all 20 episodes with a new “Celly Challenge” segment. NFL players, including Jaylen Waddle, Ashton Jeanty and Tyler Shough, as well as mascots and cheerleaders put content creators, like Pikaboo, WILDCAT, CashNasty and Kani Rosi, to the test and rate their dance skills and touchdown celebrations in each episode.
