Amid the ongoing NFL season, Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Hartman is trading the practice squad for The Bachelor. The Washington Commanders quarterback is officially the lead of ABC’s milestone 30th season, sparking immediate reactions from across the sports and entertainment world, including reactions from fellow quarterback Jayden Daniels’ mother, Regina Jackson, and media personality Kay Adams.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
“Meet Sam Hartman, your new Bachelor,” The official Instagram account of The Bachelor posted in collaboration with Hartman, ABC, and ESPN. “🌹 Don’t miss the season premiere of #TheBachelor March 21 on ABC. Stream on Hulu.”
The plot of the show is to find a match for Hartman, with various participants competing to win his heart. Hartman will have the final say, eliminating a participant each week and receiving a marriage proposal from the final contestant left.
27-year-old Hartman went undrafted in the 2024 NFL Draft before the Commanders signed him to the practice squad. The former Notre Dame and Wake Forest standout has been tossed between the active roster and the practice squad ever since his signing. Hartman has yet to appear in a regular-season NFL game, making his reality-TV gig a much higher-profile platform than his current football standing.
But as Hartman continues to chase playing time and stardom in the NFL, he will now also have work during the offseason, as the show is slated for March, to prepare for it.
“I’m excited but also very nervous,” Hartman said Friday on Good Morning America, talking about the show. “I have a tough time holding conversation with one girl. 30 is going to be pretty tough.”
Hartman further talked about how he was hesitant at first about finding love on a television show. But there was one former NFL star, Jesse Palmer, who now hosts the show, including The Bachelorette, who helped Hartman change his mind and convince him to do the show.
“He kind of gave me the insight and gave me kind of what it is and what it’s not,” Hartman said of Palmer, continuing about his decision to join the show, “I know one thing: when people are saying, ‘I do,’ they don’t ask you where you met; they just ask if you want to do it forever. I don’t see any problem with that.”
Palmer isn’t the only NFL player to have been the lead on the show; former NFL players Mel Owens, Colton Underwood, and Clay Harbor have all served as leads. Former Wake Forest players like Jordan Rodgers, Josh Murray, Dale Moss, and Matt James have also been featured on the show.
But coming back to Hartman, he described his love interest as well. He said that he wants to search for someone with a thriving personality and competitiveness in a way “that they have a drive for something and that motivates” him to chase that person on a daily basis. But there is yet another thing the quarterback wants in his partner: someone who takes care of people.
“My whole family is in the medicine field,” Hartman said. “There’s a part of me that, seeing them do so much for other people, I think that’s a huge part.”
Seeing the official post, Daniels’ mother and an official NFL agent, Jackson, responded with a comment reading, “They knew the assignment 🔥🔥.”
Even Daniels left a comment on the post with a GIF, showcasing a child dancing with others following him with joy.
“Ummm @sam_hartman10 i literally called this 2 years ago you’re welcome! 👏 good luck!” media personality Kay Adams commented on ABC’s post.
Even host Palmer, who made Hartman join the show, commented with a pinch of satire, writing, “I just wish he was better looking…”
“How on God’s earth did y’all manage to get an NFL player lmao,” another fan commented.
One fan was not so fond of Hartman coming to the show this late, leaving a satirical comment, “You waited until after I got married to pull this?”
It is surely going to be a much-awaited season of The Bachelor, given the amount of hype Hartman has had for the show ever since he signed with the NFL.