Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
“The NFL is rigged” has become a largely tongue-in-cheek rallying cry among fans who find it hard to ignore questionable calls and serendipitous coincidences that suggest the league has its thumb on the scale. Now, we’ve been treated to some new “evidence” in the form of a graphic from September that positioned Drew Maye and Sam Darnold next to the Lombardi Trophy close to five months before they punched their ticket to Super Bowl LX.
There’s nothing people love more than a juicy conspiracy theory, and there is no shortage of NFL fans who are more than happy to throw on their tinfoil hat while discussing the so-called script that has become a meme to the point where the league got in on the action a few years ago.
I don’t think there are many people who genuinely believe Roger Goodell is orchestrating a vast conspiracy to maximize entertainment and ratings by influencing the outcome of games in pursuit of a preferred narrative. However, I can understand why buying into that theory can be appealing when some things tend to work out a little too conveniently.
The colors in the Super Bowl logo have become the subject of a conspiracy in recent years, and while the one for this season’s contest didn’t feature a foretold prophecy, the same can’t be said for a resurfaced graphic that’s gotten some attention after the lineup for The Big Game was solidified.
Drew Maye and Sam Darnold were conveniently placed next to the Lombardi Trophy in a graphic the NFL posted months before they led the Patriots and Seahawks to Super Bowl LX
The Seahawks entered the current season with +6000 odds to win Super Bowl LX, and the Patriots were even bigger longshots while sitting at 80-to-1.
However, both teams will be heading to Levi’s Stadium on February 8th after Sam Darnold and Seattle toppled the Rams in the NFC Championship Game after Drake Make (and first-year head coach Mike Vrabel) got things done against the Broncos in the AFC.
There weren’t many people who would have predicted that matchup at the start of the season, but plenty of fans noticed Darnold and Maye were positioned next to each other and right next to the Lombardi Trophy in a graphic the NFL posted before the Eagles and the Cowboys ushered in the season at the start of September.
32 teams with February dreams. We’re so back. pic.twitter.com/3myEdLhOG8
— NFL (@NFL) September 4, 2025
Patrick Mahomes, Brock Purdy, Saquon Barkley, and other players who belonged to the teams viewed as the most likely contenders heading into the season were placed in the foreground of that picture, while Darnold and Maye shared a row with Malik Nabers, Baker Mayfield, and Travis Hunter (the last of whom was the only member of that trio who was on a team that made the playoffs).
As is the case with most of the “proof” that the NFL is rigged, this can be chalked up to a big coincidence, but I’m sure that won’t stop some people from suggesting otherwise.