“The Phaninc ExchangeMasked Singer” unveiled an athlete we are not use to seeing beyond a football field.

On Wednesday, Season 12 of the NBC singing competition, that challenges its audience to guess who is under the costume with series of clues, premiered. The clues for Wednesday’s premiere included "NFL Hall of Famer."

Before the person who sang “I Like It, I Love It.” by country singer Tim McGraw under the Leaf Sheep costume was revealed as former football quarterback John Elway, fans on social media shared their thoughts.  

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Social media reacts to first celebrity on ‘The Masked Singer’ 

“Why did I get Dallas Cowboys head coach and NFL Hall of Famer Jimmy Johnson under the #leafsheepmask,” one X user wrote.  

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“Jason Kelce? #leafsheepmask #TheMaskedSinger,” another wrote.  

“#MaskedSinger I think #LeafSheep is Eli Manning,” an X user wrote.  

“#LeafSheep on @MaskedSingerFOX can only be... @TroyAikman, who I have LOVED since his days at UCLA! #MaskedSinger,” another wrote.  

While Elway continued his performance in the Leaf Sheep costume, fans chimed in with comments on his singing abilities.  

“Can I buzz #LeafSheepMask? His voice is giving me a headache! #TheMaskedSinger,” an X user wrote.  

'Spoken like a true legend': The big reveal

The crowd cheered “Take it off!” before they revealed who was under the costume.  

“Two-time Super Bowl Champion,” Host Nick Cannon said. “NFL Hall of Famer. The legendary Duke of Denver, John Elway.” 

Comedian and panelist on the show Ken Jeong, who is known for his comical wrong guesses of celebrity contestants, got this one right to kick off the season.  

“Ken was right!” he added.  

Once Elway was revealed as the first celebrity on the show, Cannon had some questions for him.  

“Why in the world would you do ‘The Masked Singer’?” he asked.  

“That’s a good question,” Elway responded. “I’m not sure. I was definitely not in my comfort zone doing this. But you know, I'm in retirement now. I had the opportunity and took advantage of it.” 

“Spoken like a true legend,” Cannon replied. 

Ahjané Forbes is a reporter on the National Trending Team at USA TODAY. Ahjané covers breaking news, car recalls, crime, health, lottery, and public policy stories. Email her at [email protected]. Follow her on Instagram, Threads, and X (Twitter) @forbesfineest.