The first ever regular season NFL game to take place in Ireland sees the Pittsburgh Steelers face the Minnesota Vikings with some of the biggest names and highest paid stars in American Football coming to Dublin
Croke Park is used to hosting big name GAA players and rock and pop superstars, but this Sunday some of the biggest names in the NFL will be in action.
For the first time, Ireland will host a regular season NFL game as the Pittsburgh Steelers take on the Minnesota Vikings.
Both teams are coming into week four with a 2-1 record with the Steelers as the designated home team for the Dublin NFL showdown.
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Here’s five of the most well-known players who’ll grace the hallowed turf at Croke Park this weekend. . .
Aaron Rodgers
One the biggest names in American sport, Aaron Rodgers is regarded as one of the all-time greatest quarterbacks in the history of the NFL.
He recently passed his former Green Bay teammate Brett Favre and has thrown 510 career touchdown passes.
Only Tom Brady, Drew Brees and Peyton Manning have thrown more touchdown passes.
A former Super Bowl winner and a four-time MVP, Rodgers endured a nightmare two-year stint at New York Jets after suffering an Achilles injury on his debut.
He pondered retirement and was linked with a host of teams during the off-season, including the Vikings, before signing for the Steelers for the 2025/26 season.
Justin Jefferson
Arguably one of the best receivers in the NFL, Justin Jefferson is as charismatic as he is brilliant.
After winning the National Championship on an LSU side that included Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase of the Cincinnati Bengals, he opted to forgo his senior year at college to enter the NFL draft. He was selected by the Vikings in the first round of the 2020 draft.
He has gone to to set an NFL record for most receiving yards through a player’s first four seasons.
In 2024, Jefferson starred in the Netflix series ‘Receiver’ was is a spin-off from the ‘Quarterback’ series on the streaming service.
If Jefferson scores a touchdown on Sunday, fans in Croke Park can expect him to bust out his signature ‘Griddy’ celebration.
DK Metcalf
At 6”4 and 235-pounds, DK Metcalf is more like a tight end than a wide receiver and his physically is one of the main reasons the Steelers traded for him.
He spent six seasons with the Seattle Seahawks before signing a five-year contract worth a reported $150m.
Metcalf, 27, narrowly missed his fourth career 1,000-yard receiving season last year, catching 66 passes for 992 yards with five touchdowns.
The The two-time Pro Bowler is engaged to pop star Normani, a former member of the girl-group Fifth Harmony.
TJ Watt
TJ Watt is the NFL’s highest-paid defensive player after he signed a new $123 three-year contract with the Steelers in the summer.
The Steelers selected Watt with the 30th overall pick in the 2017 draft.
The outside linebacker’s value also surpasses the average salary of Bengals star receiver Ja’Marr Chase, who is the NFL’s highest-paid non-quarterback after agreeing a $40 million-a-year deal with Cincinnati.
Watt tied an NFL record by registering 22 1/2 sacks during the 2021 season and he recently became a father after his wife Dani gave birth to their daughter Blakely Marie Watt.
Carson Wentz
The final slot on this lost was originally reserved for JJ McCarthy. However, the Vikings will have a veteran quarterback for Sunday’s showdown with the Steelers after McCarthy suffered a high ankle sprain in the week two loss to the Atlanta Falcons.
He has travelled to Ireland with the team, but will have a watching brief this weekend.
Wentz, meanwhile, is a journeyman quarterback and recently set an NFL record by becoming the first quarterback to start for six different teams over the last six seasons, namely the Philadelphia Eagles (2020), Indianapolis Colts (2021), Washington Commanders (2022), Kansas City Chiefs (2023), LA Rams (2024) and now with the Vikings.
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