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Brushing Up: Nationwide Kicks Off the NFL Season With Peyton Manning 'Paintin' Manning' makes an artful return Peyton Manning is a Renaissance man for our times: The former star NFL quarterback runs Omaha Productions, co-hosts the Monday Night Football-centric “ManningCast” and serves as a professor of practice at the University of Tennessee. But there’s more. A Nationwide pitchman for over a decade, he also paints with the skill of a modern-day Michelangelo in a fresh spot reviving his “Paintin’ Manning” alter ego. “Locker Room” debuted last night during the 2026 NFL Kickoff on NBC. It finds Manning’s character atop a ladder, paintbrush and palette in hand, adding the finishes touches to a work of art on the ceiling as his Nationwide teammate Saquon Barkley looks on. While completing his masterpiece, Manning regales Barkley with reasons why Nationwide is “so much more than a great insurance company.” Clearly inspired by Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel, Paintin’s work features two massive likenesses of… himself—one representing Nationwide’s insurance business, the other repping the company’s financial services. When Barkley describes the painting as a metaphor for the new NFL season, Manning shares his appreciation for his friend’s deep understanding of his artistry. Additional work featuring Manning and Barkley will roll out during the NFL season. Related: Peyton Manning’s Got All the Right Moves for Bud Light. Well, Some of Them, Anyway