While the Minnesota Vikings and the Detroit Lions were locked in a 7-7 defensive grind on Christmas Day, the real comeback story was happening at halftime. It wasn’t just a player returning to the field, but a legend who made an unexpected appearance alongside Snoop Dogg.

The hip-hop icon headlined Snoop Dogg’s Holiday Halftime Party, giving fans something far more entertaining than the scoreboard suggested. And alongside the music legends was a familiar football face: Retired Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Devlin “Duck” Hodges.

Hodges leaned into the moment on Instagram. Sharing a photo with Snoop and his fiancée Lainey Wilson, he joked in the caption: “BREAKING NEWS: Just weeks after Philip Rivers gets called back by the NFL to play quarterback, former NFL quarterback, Duck Hodges, gets a call from the NFL to be Santa for the Snoop Dogg and Friends Christmas Day halftime show.”

And let’s just say the timing made it work. Leading up to Vikings–Lions, it was announced that Hodges would be “returning” to an NFL field. Just not in the way fans usually expect. This wasn’t a Philip Rivers-style comeback. Instead, Hodges was back under the stadium lights as part of the halftime spectacle, standing alongside Snoop during his fiancée’s holiday performance.

Lainey, a country singer, wasn’t the only guest to join Snoop. The show also featured appearances from Martha Stewart, the animated hit K-Pop Demon Hunters, and opera duo Andrea Bocelli and Matteo Bocelli. Still, Hodges’ lighthearted return somehow stole the spotlight, more for its humor than its significance.

Snoop kicked things off dressed head-to-toe in red, rocking a double-breasted suit and a long, fur-trimmed coat. His set opened with Dr. Dre classics “The Next Episode” and “Nuthin’ but a ‘G’ Thang,” before shifting into a festive spin on “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” That segment featured EJAE, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami (the voices behind Huntr/x).

From there, Snoop leaned back into his own catalog with “Drop It Like It’s Hot” and “Who Am I? (What’s My Name?).” And that’s when Lainey took the stage, delivering her rendition of “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town.” And right after Hodges shared the now-viral photo with Snoop and Lainey, the reaction came quickly. Among those paying attention was George Kittle, who dropped a simple but telling comment for the former Steelers QB.

George Kittle joined the fans to celebrate Devlin Hodges’ NFL return

The comments section did what the NFL couldn’t resist doing all afternoon. It ran with the joke. When George Kittle dropped, “👑 you dropped this king,” it instantly set the tone. That one line reframed Hodges’ presence as something bigger than a cameo. Not a comeback. Not satire. Just pure, internet-approved royalty for a moment.

From there, fans leaned fully into the narrative. One comment calling it a “Legendary @nfl comeback story 🔥” summed up the collective mood perfectly. Nobody was confusing this with a quarterback signing, but that was the fun of it. Hodges didn’t need pads or a playbook. He just needed to be there, smiling, owning the moment.

Others focused less on the irony and more on the vibe. “Star of the show 🎅🏼” turned Hodges into the unofficial face of the halftime break, while another fan chimed in with, “Nice outfit, Lainey! I love the matching hat! 🙂👍 Merry Christmas! 🎅🎄.” Proof that the spotlight was happily shared, not stolen.

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And then came the simplest seal of approval: “Hell yeah you two looked great out there!” It was a moment free of sarcasm or overthinking, with fans simply enjoying a crossover that felt effortless. Hodges didn’t return to the NFL in the traditional sense. But for one halftime, one photo, and one comment section, he fit right back in.