The nickname Mr. Irrelevant really exploded in awareness for football fans when Brock Purdy, the last overall NFL draft pick in his class, became the San Francisco 49ers’ starting quarterback — and one of the highest-paid players in the league. But another player before him also got that nickname and made an impact in his own way: John Tuggle.
On the first NFL Sunday of the year, Paramount has released the first trailer for “Mr. Irrelevant,” a biopic starring Superman himself David Corenswet as John Tuggle, who, in 1983, was the final NFL Draft pick for the New York Giants for legendary coach Bill Parcells. He managed to fight his way to the roster thanks to his toughness, grit, determination, and overall good spirits. In 1984, he was diagnosed with cancer and would not return to the football field, but the Giants kept him on the roster to collect a salary and pay his medical bills.
The film based on Tuggle’s life — and the first trailer, below — aims to be an inspiring sports story of perseverance, all anchored by Corenswet’s smile and charm. Back in June, THR reported that “Mr. Irrelevant” tested through the roof, with women over 35 giving the film a near-perfect testing score, a rare achievement. As a result, Paramount is releasing “Mr. Irrelevant” on Christmas Day in the hopes of making a holiday hit.
Jonathan Levine, recently tapped by Paramount to direct the “Days of Thunder” sequel with Tom Cruise, directs “Mr. Irrelevant” from a script by Nick Santora (“Reacher”). The film also stars Isabel May and Michael Shannon in what looks like a fun performance as Parcells. The trailer shows a scene where Tuggle interrupts Parcells while talking to the media during a training camp practice. Parcells scolds both Tuggle and the media for even deigning to talk to the last overall pick who might never make the team.
“Mr. Irrelevant” is a Skydance Sports movie being released by Paramount. It’s also the first theatrical feature as part of a partnership between Skydance Sports and the NFL, which is also working on an Amazon documentary about Jason Kelce, a Netflix documentary about Jerry Jones, and the Hallmark movie “Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story.“
“Mr. Irrelevant” opens in theaters December 25. Watch the trailer below.
