Little Caesars is putting its hometown quarterback front and center this football season. The Detroit-based pizza chain has tapped Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff to headline its 2026 NFL marketing campaign, pairing the local star with Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson and San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle as the company returns for a fifth year as the league's official pizza sponsor.
According to ClickOnDetroit, Goff and Kittle will appear in additional national marketing throughout the season, while Jefferson is set to star in the campaign's first national commercial. The outlet reports that Little Caesars has also expanded its local NFL team partnership roster to 21 franchises for 2026, adding new deals with the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Baltimore Ravens, Seattle Seahawks, Arizona Cardinals, Los Angeles Chargers, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Cleveland Browns and Houston Texans. Returning team partners include the Lions, Pittsburgh Steelers, Tennessee Titans, Kansas City Chiefs, Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers, Los Angeles Rams, Miami Dolphins and New Orleans Saints.
The expansion to nearly two-thirds of the league's 32 teams marks a significant leap in the company's hyper-local sports marketing push, according to Trend Hunter. Little Caesars is also adding concession offerings inside the home venues of the Ravens, Texans and Jaguars, per the same report, as it works to expand its in-stadium presence beyond national advertising.
A Fifth Season Built on Detroit Roots
Little Caesars first became the NFL's official pizza sponsor in 2022, taking over the league-wide deal after Pizza Hut held the role for four seasons and Papa Johns had it for eight years before that, according to Nation's Restaurant News. The chain, headquartered in downtown Detroit, generates more than $4 billion in annual U.S. sales, making it the third-largest pizza chain in the country behind Domino's and Pizza Hut, per Sports Illustrated.
Founded in Garden City, Michigan, in May 1959 by Mike and Marian Ilitch, Little Caesars remains privately operated under parent company Ilitch Holdings, which also owns the Detroit Red Wings, Detroit Tigers and the Fox Theatre. The company's ties to Detroit football run deeper than the current NFL deal — Little Caesars served as title sponsor of the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl at Ford Field, home of the Lions, from 2009 through 2013, according to CBS News Detroit.
Goff's selection as a national ambassador comes two years after he secured his future in Detroit, signing a four-year, $212 million contract extension with $170 million guaranteed in May 2024, following the Lions' first NFC Championship Game appearance since 1991, per NFL.com. The quarterback has continued building his profile beyond the football field, including a featured role alongside Eddie Murphy in a Netflix teaser for “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F,” as Hoodline reported at the time.
Pizza! Pizza! Deal and App Rewards Return
Little Caesars is reviving its signature Pizza! Pizza! pregame promotion for the campaign, offering two large one-topping pizzas for $4.99 each when ordered online together using the promo code PIZZAPIZZA, according to ClickOnDetroit. The deal, which began this past Monday, runs through September 13 at participating locations and carries market-specific pricing and availability restrictions. The Pizza! Pizza! phrase itself dates back to 1979, when Little Caesars coined it to promote a two-for-one pizza deal, and it has remained one of the brand's signature slogans since.
Beginning September 9, fans using the Little Caesars app can complete NFL game-day challenges for a chance to earn rewards, ClickOnDetroit reports, part of the company's broader strategy of converting game-day rituals into digital orders. That kind of app-driven fan engagement reflects a wider industry push, according to Trend Hunter, which notes that pairing player talent from key franchise markets with digital rewards programs has become central to how sponsors like Little Caesars drive customer acquisition.
Love Kitchen Heads to Seattle
Little Caesars is also bringing its Love Kitchen mobile pizzeria to Seattle in partnership with the NFL and the Seahawks, with an event scheduled for September 8 at Byrd Barr Place. The company said the Seattle stop is part of its broader effort to support local communities. The 18-wheel mobile pizzeria, which provides free hot meals during disasters and to community groups, celebrated its 40th anniversary in May 2025 after serving its four-millionth guest since launching in 1985, and it has visited all 48 contiguous states and four Canadian provinces, relying on local franchise volunteers.
The NFL partnership will continue throughout the 2026 season with team-specific promotions, digital content, in-game activations and other fan experiences, according to ClickOnDetroit. It's the latest sign of Little Caesars leaning into its Metro Detroit identity even as it pursues broader retail growth, following its DIY pizza shop test in Dearborn Heights earlier this year and its ongoing national expansion into markets like Boston, Chicago and New York, Hoodline reported.
