Hallmark Channel Announces Star-Studded Cast of 2025 NFL Movie: What Fans Think

A Hollywood icon and a Hallmark Channel newcomer are part of the star-studded cast of the network’s second NFL-themed Christmas movie. With filming kicking off on May 19, 2025, Hallmark Media announced the cast of “Holiday Touchdown: A Bills Love Story” will include “Who’s The Boss” alum Tony Danza and “Shadowhunters” heartthrob Matthew Daddario, per Variety.

Daddario’s leading lady will be rising Hallmark star Holland Roden, per Variety, and the cast also includes “Family Ties” alum (and wife of Michael J. Fox) Tracy Pollan, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” cast member Caroline Aaron, and “The Sopranos” alum Steve Schirripa, whose first Hallmark movie was February’s “Sisterhood Inc.” Multiple Buffalo Bills stars will appear, too.

The new movie is a follow-up to the 2024 smash hit “Holiday Romance: A Chiefs Love Story,” starring Tyler Hynes and Hunter King, backed up by an all-star cast. After the success of the project, which was the most-watched cable movie of the year, Hallmark and the NFL decided to team up again. While many fans have responded with excitement to the casting announcement, some expressed disappointment about not seeing certain stars involved.

Actors & Buffalo Bills Stars Kick Off Hallmark Channel Christmas Movie With Cute Social Media Post

Scheduled to premiere during Hallmark Channel’s 16th annual Countdown to Christmas programming slate, “Holiday Romance: A Buffalo Bills Love Story” will feature multiple stars from the NFL team.

According to Variety, the cast includes Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott, running back Ray Davis, offensive tackle Dion Dawkins, tight end Dawson Knox, long snapper Reid Ferguson, defensive tackle DeWayne Carter, and wide receiver Joshua Palmer. Superstar safety Damar Hamlin, who announced the Buffalo Bills movie on social media in March, is also part of the cast.

Several former players will also appear, including famed quarterback Jim Kelly, who played with the Bills for 11 seasons, according to Today.com. There will be additional cameos, per Variety, from former players Steve Tasker, Thurman Thomas, Scott Norwood and Andre Reed, as well as from Bills announcer Chris Brown and Luke Russert, the son of late broadcast journalist and die-hard Bills fan Tim Russert.

Roden, who rose to fame on the “Teen Wolf” series from 2010 to 2017, has appeared in numerous Hallmark movies, per IMDb, including 2022’s “Time For Him to Come Home For Christmas,” 2023’s “Making Waves,” and several 2024 projects — “Five Gold Rings” opposite Nolan Gerard Funk, “Tipline Mysteries: Dial 1 For Murder” with Chris McNally, and several episodes of the “Holidazed” series on Hallmark+.

The actress kicked off a cute social media announcement for Hallmark, in which she and other cast members from the “starting lineup,” including her “handsome and talented teammate” Daddario. All dressed in Bills gear, they each pretended to toss a football to the next cast member, appearing in a separate frame, and expressed their excitement about being involved in the movie.

Hallmark Channel Fans Surprised Not to See Certain Stars in Cast of Buffalo Bills Movie

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Tons of fans — especially members of the team’s fandom, the Bills Mafia — expressed their excitement about the cast announcement. Even Hallmark star Ginna Claire Mason, who just wrapped filming a Christmas movie in Buffalo with Wes Brown, wrote, “I LOVE THIS CAST.”

But some Hallmarkies expressed surprise that the movie won’t feature certain stars they thought would be shoe-ins for the movie because of their ties to Buffalo, including Hallmark alum Chad Michael Murray or Dean Cain.

Murray grew up in Buffalo and moved his family back there in 2024, per Interview, so many fans expressed surprise he’s not involved in the Hallmark project. One fan wrote on Instagram, “I thought @chadmichaelmurray would be in this one for sure!! 🤷‍♀️😅” and another commented, “Missed the mark not getting @chadmichaelmurray for this one”

Cain, meanwhile, was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the 1980s before a knee injury cut his sports career short, leading him into acting. The “Lois and Clark” alum starred in multiple Hallmark movies; the last one, “Winter’s Dream,” aired in 2018, per IMDb. One of Cain’s fans wrote on Instagram, “How @deuces1966 isn’t in this particular flick is the greatest oversight to date.”

Another notable star missing from the “Holiday Touchdown” roster is quarterback Josh Allen, whom many fans hoped would make appearance along with his famous fiancée, Hailee Steinfeld. But with rumors swirling that their wedding is happening any day, appearing in the movie might be a no-go.

Additional cast members could be added at a later date, which happened with the first “Holiday Touchdown” movie. The film included cameos by Hallmark’s Wes Brown, “Today Show” anchor Jenna Bush Hager, and NFL mom Donna Kelce that were not part of the initial announcement.