Clay Matthews had the internet doing a double take Friday after TMZ posted an AI-generated image that made the former Packers star look wildly overbuilt.
The photos, shared on TMZ’s X and Instagram accounts, came with the caption: "Clay Matthews was spotted out grabbing groceries looking VERY different after apparently getting some work done."
The problem was obvious fast. The face didn’t resemble Matthews, with a jawline, chin and cheeks that looked badly distorted, and the body had been digitally pumped up well beyond what even a linebacker frame should look like. The hands were especially rough, with the fingers appearing disfigured as Matthews is shown loading grocery bags into a vehicle.
TMZ labeled the post as an "ad" on X and a "paid partnership" on Instagram, though it didn’t explain further.
Reactions online came quickly, with plenty of people calling out the image as an obvious AI mess. Matthews eventually weighed in himself after Bussin' With the Boys posted one of the photos and joked in its caption: "You might not like it but this is what peak male performance looks like."
Matthews replied simply: "Gigaclay," he wrote on X in response to Bussin' With the Boys' post of one of the photos as they joked in their caption: "You might not like it but this is what peak male performance looks like."
The timing of the whole thing was pretty funny, too. Matthews is set to show up in a much more recognizable form in less than a week, when he makes his debut as an NFL analyst for Netflix.
Entering the 2026 season, the 40-year-old Matthews has joined Netflix’s NFL coverage as a studio analyst. His first assignment will come on Thursday, Sept. 10, when the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers open the NFL calendar in Melbourne, Australia.
Matthews will be part of a new studio team that includes host Elle Duncan, Hall of Famer Michael Irvin and Super Bowl-winning quarterback Nick Foles.
During his playing career, Matthews built a reputation as one of the league’s most disruptive defenders. He spent 10 of his 11 NFL seasons with Green Bay, where he became the Packers’ all-time sacks leader. He retired after the 2019 season, leaving behind a résumé that included six Pro Bowl selections and a place in the Packers’ Hall of Fame.
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