When Michael Irvin heard about ‘The Longest Yard’ for the first time in the early 2000s, the single most dominant emotion he felt back then was passion. One, because it was about football. And two, the original 1974 Burt Reynolds-headlined movie was one of his favorites. So, the Dallas Cowboys player did what he never thought he would do: He asked one of his kids to shoot an audition tape of him. Lo and behold only some months later, the world came to know what a good team member Deacon Moss was within the Mean Machine—as did they realize that the Pro Football Hall of Famer’s talents extended way beyond the gridiron.

But for a man who was so intensely immersed in football back then, a sports movie made perfect sense. It was almost an ode to himself after an unexpected injury had forced Irvin to conclude his career. Cut to two decades later, and The Playmaker‘s priorities have changed. While he likes to spend his time as a fierce critic, calling a spade a spade, and occasionally stars in other movies (cue Slamma Jamma, and Jack and Jill), 2025 presented him with an opportunity to star in his first Christmas movie. Expectedly, Irvin couldn’t refuse—courtesy of a relationship with God, he says, was built after years of “mess”. “It took me forty years to really realize the hand that God had on me. I did almost every bad thing you could do, but it’s through the power of God I can live this life,” the retired veteran had once said.

On February 10 this year, an announcement quietly slipped under the radar. “The film focuses on eight incredible true stories of people who found Christ on Christmas Eve…The epic film will go from New York City to the battlefields of World War II to Tokyo – all on Christmas Eve,” a press release stated, maintaining utmost ambiguity except that fans can expect a November 2025 release. Some hours ago, the former NFL Network analyst revealed more.

“🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾Great primer last night in LA. Great Movie, Message and Moment!! 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾,” Irvin wrote on Instagram while sharing the movie Christmas Eve‘s poster featuring himself and Stephen Baldwin among others. What’s more? The stories that will be depicted on-screen are inspired from real life from when director Tim Chey traveled across 29 countries.

“One of the stories involves the true story of a Colombian woman who was going to kill her husband on Christmas Eve by orders from Pablo Escobar. But that night, she heard a church singing ‘Silent Night’. Drawn into the church, she gave her life to Christ and told Escobar what happened at great risk to her life. Chey uncovered the Columbian story as he traveled to over 29 countries for his ‘Epic Journey’ film that aired prime-time on Daystar TV to 80 million homes,” the February press note had mentioned.

Having said that, Irvin’s role hasn’t been announced yet, but sources close to the production say he’s attached to one of the core storylines, offering the gridiron legend a new chance to connect with audiences. But, for him, this is more than just a cameo. It’s a continuation of his personal journey.

Even Tim Chey, the film’s director and Harvard alumnus is cut from the same cloth. An atheist-turned-believer, he noted, “We need a Christmas movie that really reflects why the season is so important…The world really needs a Savior right now.”

Undoubtedly, the 3X Super Bowl champion is where he belongs.