Maverick Presents Offseason: An NFL Doc Series Now Streaming on Amazon Prime
Production company and creative studio Maverick Media Group (Maverick) recently partnered with Executive Producer and former NFL tight end Jordan Reed to produce Offseason, a documentary series that follows five NFL players as they balance intensive training, family commitments, and high-stakes business decisions when they aren’t in the spotlight. The series launched on February 1st on Amazon Prime, Roku, and Tubi.
Featuring Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku, Detroit Lions offensive tackle Penei Sewell, Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Henrickson, and San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle and wide receiver Ricky Pearsall, Offseason provides a behind-the-scenes look at how these elite athletes live, love, and work off the field.
“As a former athlete, I know the offseason is where everything is built physically, mentally, and personally,” says Reed. “Seeing Offseason go from concept to completion was about capturing that reality and making it visible. The Maverick team helped create an environment of trust and access that made that possible. Giving fans and the next generation of athletes an honest look at how these athletes navigate pressure, business, and the real-life challenges that exist beyond the pylons.”
“We immediately connected with Jordan, who sought a production partner who could capture the nuanced story of each athlete authentically,” adds Marc Whitaker II, Maverick Co-Founder and Executive Producer. “As a production company that works at the nexus of sports and entertainment, we quickly built trust with the athletes as they shared these vulnerable moments with us. By taking a more behind-the-scenes approach, we were able to pull it all off in a short amount of time.”
Maverick enlisted the talents of Justin Polk and Tevin Tavares to direct the episodes. Polk is an award-winning director known for his work on the Los Angeles Rams documentary, Matthew Stafford: Locked In, and the Verizon First Responders campaign. For Offseason, he helmed the episodes featuring David Njoku, Trey Hendrickson, and Ricky Pearsall.
Tavares is a filmmaker celebrated for his culturally resonant storytelling. He is the director behind Amazon Prime’s docuseries Top Class: The Life and Times of the Sierra Canyon Trailblazers, and a short film for Nike Jordan Brand’s “Why Not?” campaign, starring NBA star Russell Westbrook. Tavares directed the Penei Sewell episode and co-directed the George Kittle episode with Joslyn Rose Lyons.
“For this series, we had two very highly-skilled directors with different styles,” explains Whitaker. “As a former college football player, Justin understands the life of an athlete, and his perspective enabled us to elevate these films beyond the brief presented to us. And Tevin, whose work carries a more arthouse style, brought a unique twist to his episodes.”
“Offseason brought me back to my first love: sports storytelling,” says Tavares. “The athlete’s journey is universal—it resonates whether you’ve played or not. Working with Maverick to tell George Kittle’s and Penei Sewell’s stories was an amazing opportunity. Visually, we aimed for something more cinematic and unexpected—closer to the emotional language of A24 films. My DP, Kolby Listenbee, and I share that sensibility, and we pushed each other to bring a more beautiful, filmic lens to sports.”
With limited access to the athletes before they returned to team activities and training camps, Maverick crews operated on a tight production timeline spanning five weeks across six cities: Jacksonville and Miami, Florida; Scottsdale, Arizona; Cleveland, Ohio; Nashville, Tennessee; and Detroit, Michigan.
Technically, Whitaker says the challenge was maintaining high production value while staying responsive to how the players moved, so their stories didn’t come off as performative. To achieve this, the team shot on the ARRI ALEXA 35, taking a cinéma vérité style beyond the interviews, which required critical decisions around lighting and audio.
Given the condensed timeline, Maverick got a head start on post during production, sending footage back to Myles Ditkoff, Editor, Director, and Co-Founder of Maverick, who edited four of the films, and Final Cut’s Jasmine McCullough, who edited the Penei Sewell episode.
“This entire production was a logistical dance, run beautifully between our production partners and our post producer Lee Nichnowitz,” says Whitaker. “It also speaks to the benefit of having an in-house editorial team at Maverick. Our story producer, Brandon Broussard, worked closely with our directors and editors to ensure the stories were structured and framed correctly from the get-go.”
Original music for the Offseason series was composed by Casey Gibson. Color correction was handled by Mikey Pehanich and Gregory Reese of Royal Muster, with sound and audio mix handled by Benjamin Freer of Fiddle Leaf. The title card graphics were created by Rob Foster of Carbon.
“This series took me back to my days as a college athlete—high stakes, fast pace, split-second decisions, all built on intense preparation,” concludes Whitaker. “We foster a family on set, where athletes, partners, and crew can show up as themselves. That spirit defines us as next-gen filmmakers, bringing real energy and perspective to stories that matter.”
CREDITS
Production Company: Maverick Media Group (All Episodes), Indigo Projects Incorporated (George Kittle Only)
Director: Justin Polk (David Njoku, Ricky Pearsall, Trey Hendrickson), Tevin Tavares (George Kittle (half), Penei Sewell), Joslyn Rose Lyons (George Kittle (half))
DP: Kolby Listenbee (George Kittle, Penei Sewell), Adam Bial (Trey Hendrickson, Ricky Pearsall, David Njoku)
Executive Producer: Marc Whitaker II, Jordan Reed, Sheridan de Myers, Dr.Chirag M.Patel, Infinity Sky, David Njoku (David Njoku), Ricky Pearsall (Ricky Pearsall), Trey Hendrickson (Trey Hendrickson), George Kittle (George Kittle), Penei Sewell (Penei Sewell), Myles Ditkoff (George Kittle), Joslyn Rose Lyons (George Kittle), Vernon Davis (George Kittle), Henry Penzi (George Kittle)
Producer: Autumn Maschi
Where shot: David Njoku (Miami, Florida / Cleveland, Ohio), Ricky Pearsall (Phoenix, Arizona), Trey Hendrickson (Jacksonville, Florida), George Kittle (Nashville, Tennessee), Penei Sewell (Detroit, Michigan)
Editorial Company: Maverick Media Group and Final Cut
Editor: Myles Ditkoff @ Maverick Media Group (David Njoku, Trey Hendrickson, George Kittle, Ricky Pearsall)
Assistant Editor @ Maverick Media Group: Isaiah Breeding & Travis Hawkes (George Kittle, Trey Hendrickson, Ricky Pearsall, David Njoku), Cody Mastropietro (George Kittle)
Editor: Jasmine McCullough (Penei Sewell) @ Final Cut
Assistant Editor @ Final Cut: Julio Samaniego, Jesse Richard (Penei Sewell)
Color House: Royal Muster
Colorist: Gregory Reese (David Njoku, Ricky Pearsall, George Kittle, Penei Sewell)
Color Assists: Celene Curlee & Abby Dougherty (David Njoku, Ricky Pearsall, George Kittle, Penei Sewell)
Associate Producer: Esli Israel
Producer: Dan Butler
Executive Producer: Thatcher Peterson
Colorist: Mikey Pehanich (Trey Hendrickson)
Color Assists: Patrick Badescu & Zack Wilpon (Trey Hendrickson)
Associate Producer: Alex Ponce
Executive Producer: Alexandra Lubrano
Title Card Graphics: Carbon
Sound Supervisor & Additional Re-Recording Mixer: Ben Freer @ Fiddle Leaf Sound
Composer: Casey Gibson
