FILE: WILLIG, MATTHEW J. — "MATT"
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA
Two fields · One record
For 14 seasons he played offensive tackle. For 20 years since, he's been on camera.
Matt Willig retired from the NFL in 2005 after 14 seasons and two Super Bowl trips — then built a second career most people never get one of: 46 screen credits and counting. This is the record: both fields, side by side, the way he actually lived them.
Exhibit 1 · The parallel record
The gridiron track and the screen track
Year
The gridiron
The screen
1992
NFL career begins — offensive tackle, the first of seven teams over 14 seasons
—
2000
Super Bowl XXXIV — CHAMPION with the St. Louis Rams
—
2004
Super Bowl XXXVIII — a second trip, with the Carolina Panthers
—
2005
NFL career ends — 14 seasons, two Super Bowls, one ring
—
2006
—
Acting career begins
2006–26
—
46 screen credits across Marvel, DC, Star Wars, and the Coen Brothers — full list confirmed in Working Session #1
2021
—
Young Rock — André the Giant, recurring Season 1, promoted to series regular for Season 2
2025
—
Wizards Beyond Waverly Place — Archive Guard
2026
—
The Mandalorian and Grogu — named role as Hogsbreth. Same year: first-ever convention appearance, Rebel Scum Con III, Frisco, Texas
Full credit list confirmed with you directly — the write-ups disagree on details, and you're the tiebreaker.
"Current Actor — Former 14yr NFLer BUT mostly a Dad."
— Matt Willig, Instagram bio
Exhibit 2 · What the press already knows
They wrote the story. It never had a home.
- DeadlineRed carpet coverage, May 2026 — The Mandalorian and Grogu cast reveal names Willig's role
- Jedi NewsMarch 2026 — first public reveal of the Hogsbreth casting
- DeadlineAugust 2021 — the Young Rock promotion to series regular for Season 2
- Charlotte ObserverCoverage shaped like a quiz: "who plays André the Giant? A formerly obscure Panther."
Exhibit 3 · The photographs
Two fields, no home yet
Set stills, NFL-years photos, and the first convention appearance — none of it has a home online right now. It gets one here, on a domain registered to you, with every image credited.
Gallery 01 · The NFL years
Gallery 02 · On set
Gallery 03 · Convention debut