Camille Naredo

A detailed view of the Vince Lombardi Trophy during Super Bowl LX Opening Night at San Jose McEnery Convention Center on February 02, 2026 in San Jose, California. Chris Graythen, Getty Images/AFP 

SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 02: A detailed view of the Vince Lombardi Trophy during Super Bowl LX Opening Night at San Jose McEnery Convention Center on February 02, 2026 in San Jose, California.   Chris Graythen/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Chris Graythen / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

Article (news)

Super Bowl LX Opening Night

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1770112987066AFP__20260203__2259663772__v1__HighRes__SuperBowlLxOpeningNight.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="A detailed view of the Vince Lombardi Trophy during Super Bowl LX Opening Night at San Jose McEnery Convention Center on February 02, 2026 in San Jose, California. Chris Graythen, Getty Images/AFP " width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">A detailed view of the Vince Lombardi Trophy during Super Bowl LX Opening Night at San Jose McEnery Convention Center on February 02, 2026 in San Jose, California. <em>Chris Graythen, Getty Images/AFP </em></span></span></span></div><p>SAN JOSE -- For New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, the treacherous road to the Super Bowl involves more than a series of must-win football games.</p><p>He must also navigate the NFL&#x27;s &quot;Opening Night,&quot; a raucous start to Super Bowl week in which players are set loose on a convention center floor, to be bombarded with questions from hundreds of teeming journalists.</p><p>Whether they like it or not, everything is fair game, from their dream half-time performer to the worst thing about their wife&#x27;s cooking.</p><p>&quot;If I can get through this media portion, (I&#x27;ll) give as much as I can, share some info with you guys, answer your questions... but it&#x27;s a work week,&quot; Maye told AFP.</p><p>&quot;We&#x27;re here for one thing and that&#x27;s to win a Super Bowl... Good things will come after that,&quot; he added, with a patient grin.</p><p>The event is part of what NFL marketing bosses describe as the organization&#x27;s &quot;helmets off&quot; strategy, intended to humanize players and increase engagement, particularly among younger fans, by emphasizing their personalities and off-field interests.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/othersports/2026/2/3/nfl-chief-expects-bad-bunny-to-unite-super-bowl-audience-1546">READ: NFL chief expects Bad Bunny to unite Super Bowl audience</a></div><p>The approach goes hands-in-hand with a burgeoning plethora of behind-the-scenes sports documentaries, podcasts and even NFL player-backed fashion tie-ins.</p><p>Before the Patriots take on the Seattle Seahawks in Sunday&#x27;s NFL championship showdown, seven days of NFL-themed festivities take place across the San Francisco Bay Area.</p><p>It all kicked off Monday with sequined cheerleaders, screaming fans, and journalists spanning outlets from the national press to influencers and student reporters.</p><p>During an hour of shouted queries, Maye gamely discussed his love for pickleball, his faith, whether the Super Bowl is a &quot;must win&quot; game, and if he thinks he is more handsome than his Patriots predecessor Tom Brady. (He does not.)</p><p>He reminisced fondly on attending the last Super Bowl here in 2016, when he was a 13-year-old fan, cheering on his native Carolina Panthers as they lost to the Denver Broncos in Peyton Manning&#x27;s final game.</p><p>Maye even, perhaps unwisely, admits to not especially enjoying his wife&#x27;s pistachio bread -- before quickly showering her other culinary offerings with praise.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>- &#x27;Helmets off&#x27; -</strong></div><div><script data-wid="auto" type="text/javascript" src="https://content.viralize.tv/display/?zid=AAFz8gWM8iRADsJr&amp;cid=ABxPk75IdPyfcHGp"></script></div><p>Throughout this week, players and coaches juggle grueling training sessions and meticulous strategy sessions with an exhaustive schedule of media opportunities.</p><p>To the disdain of purists, so much of the Super Bowl coverage is about anything but the football.</p><p>One player told AFP the question he had been asked most often on Monday was whether he is a fan of Bad Bunny, this year&#x27;s half-time performer.</p><p>For the record, few players interviewed by AFP were fans of the Puerto Rican superstar, and some admitted they had not heard of him before he was given the high-profile stage. Most were enthusiastic to give him a try.</p><p>Still, for Patriots linebacker Robert Spillane, keeping things fun ahead of a career-defining game is key.</p><p>&quot;You can enjoy the seven days if you can be light, and smile, and share fun moments. But at the same time, when it&#x27;s time to lock in, you&#x27;ve got to be ready to lock in,&quot; he said.</p><p>&quot;You&#x27;ll look back more fondly on these days leading up if you win,&quot; Seahawks tight end Nick Kallerup predicted.</p><p>&quot;And if you lose, you won&#x27;t.&quot;</p>

<p>For New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, the treacherous road to the Super Bowl involves more than a series of must-win football games.</p>

For New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, the treacherous road to the Super Bowl involves more than a series of must-win football games.

'Helmets off': NFL stars open up as Super Bowl circus begins

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'Helmets off': NFL stars open up as Super Bowl circus begins

Andrew Marszal,

Agence France-Presse

Published February 03, 2026 06:30 PM PHT

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