The final pick in an NFL Draft is practically expected to disappear into trivia. John Tuggle didn’t. Paramount has released the official trailer for Mr. Irrelevant: The John Tuggle Story, with David Corenswet playing the unlikely New York Giants rookie whose shot at professional football became the beginning of a much bigger, and ultimately heartbreaking, true story. Watch the trailer above and get the details below.
From the Final Draft Pick to the New York Giants
“Mr. Irrelevant” is the label traditionally given to the very last player selected in the NFL Draft. In 1983, that was California running back John Tuggle.
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The Giants took Tuggle with the 335th and final pick in the 12th round. At that point, getting drafted certainly didn’t mean he had a secure NFL career waiting for him. He still had to survive training camp and convince first-year head coach Bill Parcells that he belonged.
He did exactly that. Tuggle made the roster, played all 16 games of his rookie season and was voted the Giants’ Special Teams Player of the Year, turning the draft’s least glamorous distinction into a genuine breakthrough.
The trailer appears to have plenty of fun getting him there. Corenswet’s Tuggle arrives with the hair, moustache and relentless confidence of someone who apparently never received the memo that he was supposed to be the disposable rookie. Michael Shannon brings plenty of intimidation as Parcells, while Isabel May plays Katie, Tuggle’s love interest.
What Happened to John Tuggle?
If you’re unfamiliar with Tuggle’s real-life story and want to go into the film knowing as little as possible, consider this your spoiler warning.
Tuggle’s unlikely rookie success was followed by devastating news. He was diagnosed with cancer in 1984 and underwent treatment while remaining connected to the Giants, refusing to completely give up on the possibility of returning to football.
He never played another NFL game. Tuggle died in August 1986 at just 25 years old.
The Giants made sure he remained part of the team. Players wore Tuggle’s No. 38 on their helmets throughout the 1986 season, which ended with New York defeating the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXI and winning the first Super Bowl championship in franchise history.
That’s where Mr. Irrelevant looks set to move beyond the standard sports-movie finish line. Earning a place on the roster is a huge victory for Tuggle, but it isn’t the end of his fight. His legacy ultimately had much less to do with how long he played than with the impression he left on the people around him.
David Corenswet Saw More Than a Football Story
Corenswet was drawn to what Tuggle’s experience says about optimism when sheer determination can no longer guarantee the outcome. Speaking to People, the actor asked: “What happens when a person who has defined himself by optimism and resilience is faced with a losing struggle?”
For Corenswet, Tuggle’s life also raised questions about whether dignity, humour and love can reshape our idea of success when circumstances refuse to cooperate. He described Tuggle as the kind of person whose example can serve as a reminder to appreciate the people and moments directly in front of us.
Director Jonathan Levine also looks like a particularly strong fit for material that needs to move between comedy, romance and tragedy. His credits include The Wackness, zombie romance Warm Bodies, Christmas comedy The Night Before and Charlize Theron-Seth Rogen rom-com Long Shot.
One film on that résumé stands out even more here: 50/50. Levine’s acclaimed 2011 comedy-drama starred Joseph Gordon-Levitt as a 27-year-old diagnosed with cancer and was inspired by screenwriter Will Reiser’s own experience with the disease. The film tackled the fear and uncertainty of cancer without allowing it to wipe away the friendship, romance and humour surrounding its central character.
That makes Levine’s approach to Tuggle especially interesting. The trailer isn’t pretending the darker chapter isn’t coming, but it also spends time enjoying the football, the relationships and the sheer thrill of a player nobody expected much from forcing everyone to notice him.
Levine said that tonal balance was deliberate: “We really wanted to harken back to the good old-fashioned Hollywood dramas of the ’80s, super entertaining movies that are funny and heartfelt.”
He added: “I hope we were able to honor not only that cinematic legacy, but the inspiring legacy of John Tuggle as well.”
Who’s Behind Mr. Irrelevant?
Levine directs from a screenplay by Nick Santora, the writer and showrunner behind Prime Video hit Reacher.
Alongside Corenswet, Shannon and May, the cast includes David Krumholtz as Julius “Whitey” Horai, with Tuwaine Barrett, Thaddeus LaGrone, Alexander England, Spencer House and Tandi Wright also appearing.
The creative team also includes composer Kris Bowers (The Wild Robot, Green Book) and cinematographer Frank Lamm (Andor, The Crown).
When Is Mr. Irrelevant Released?
Paramount Pictures will release Mr. Irrelevant: The John Tuggle Story in U.S. cinemas on December 25, 2026.
Australian audiences have a longer wait, with Paramount Pictures Australia currently listing the film for a February 11, 2027 theatrical release.
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