Yes, Eli Manning has seen the footage of Glen Powell in character as Chad Powers — and he’s thrilled.
“I thought he looked unbelievable. I mean, he looked terrible, which is hard for Glen to look really bad. He looked bad like I did!” Manning, 43, told Us Weekly exclusively while promoting his partnership with Corona. “I’ve been talking to him, working with him a little bit in the off season and to get him ready. And he’s fired up to play quarterback and to play Chad. He’s gonna do a great job. I can’t wait to see him in action.”
Manning took on the character of Powers for his ESPN+ show Eli’s Places in 2022. In the skit, the former New York Giants quarterback put on a ridiculous wig and prosthetic makeup to go undercover as a college student trying out for the Penn State football team. Hulu later ordered a series based on the idea, and Powell, 35, has been spotted filming in recent weeks.
“Who would’ve ever known?” Manning replied when Us asked about Hulu picking up the show. “I thought it was a funny idea: ‘Go and try out for a Penn State football team. Have a little fun.’ I hadn’t played football in a couple years, and so [I wanted to] see if I can still throw it and go back out there and compete. And now it’s turning into a show on Hulu. I mean, it’s unbelievable.”
The official logline for the half-hour comedy states: “When bad behavior nukes hotshot QB Russ Holliday’s (Powell) college career, he disguises himself and walks onto a struggling Southern football team as the talented, affable Chad Powers.”
While the streaming service hasn’t announced a premiere date for Chad Powers, football fans are ready for the NFL to return on Thursday, September 5. Manning, for his part, will be starting the fourth season of ESPN 2’s ManningCast with brother Peyton Manning on Monday, September 9.
“We talk a lot about the guests and try to get a game plan through the course of the year,” Eli told Us. “Once the schedule comes out, we see who’s playing and [say], ‘Hey, we got Jets and 49ers. Who are some big Jets fans that we can get? Who are 49er fans that we can get?’ And so start the requests early and try to get ’em. And then there’s some people that are such big celebrities or such great people and funny that [we say], ‘Come any week. We don’t care who you’re a fan of. We just want you on the show.’”
This season, Bill Belichick will also have a recurring role. “He’s been nice to me so far,” Eli quipped of having a “very different” dynamic with the former Patriots coach after years of playing against him.
When asked whether he prefers athletes or celebrities on the broadcast, Eli said he likes a mix. “I think it’s good to have the current athletes or football players early in the game ’cause hopefully it’s still a good game and sometimes later in the game, you get a celebrity [or] someone funny. So if you have a bad game, you have something else to talk about.”
The Giants, for their part, start the season against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, September 8, with quarterback Daniel Jones — who recently made waves for his new facial hair.
“I like it. A big fan of the beard,” Eli told Us.”I think it’s good for him. He needs it and he’s gotta keep it and keep rocking.”
Of the Giants overall, Eli added: “It’s gonna be a good year. I think the defense is gonna play well. I think they have some weapons outside now. They’re gonna take some shots, be a little bit more explosive offensively and build some leads and be able to hold onto it. I’m excited.”
The retired athlete will likely be enjoying the season with a Corona in hand, teaming up with the brand to sell limited-edition Lime Wedge Football sets signed by Eli.
“I played a lot of paper football growing up, and it is fun to team up with Corona [as an adult],” Eli told Us. “[Coronas] make great goal posts that you can play through. But the great thing about this game, if you don’t wanna go full throttle and be a professional Lime Wedge Football player, you can just kind of use anything. You can use real limes, you can use anything around the tailgate, around the house and have some fun.”
The kit features a table runner designed to look like a football field on a beach and a fake lime wedge with laces on the rind. Consumers can purchase the limited-edition game while supplies last for $10 plus the cost of shipping at CoronaUSA.com.
