USAA and the NFL have been working together for 14 years, and that commitment to providing exceptional “Salute to Service” experiences is only getting better.
Both companies announced Monday that they have a significant long-term partnership extension in place for USAA to continue being an official “Salute to Service” partner of the NFL, further solidifying the commitment to recognizing and honoring the military community.
“When I say proud, I mean it,” USAA president and CEO Juan C. Andrade told FOX Business about this partnership. “That is what we do at USAA. Our only missions, and we are a true purpose-driven company, is to serve our military community and to show value in the membership.
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“For us, it’s terrific to partner with the NFL to bring America’s game to the military.”
This partnership has been long-standing because it’s two entities that simply make sense in terms of serving those who serve their country. As Andrade pointed out, 34% of veterans and active-duty military watch the NFL compared to just 14% for the MLB and 10% for the NBA.
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“The American Forces Network streams all the games live for our military all over the world, and it’s meaningful to them. For us, it’s great because we know it’s something where it’s a big affinity for our community and it’s something that we’re proud to bring to them,” Andrade continued. “Every year, we have experiences that include about 10,000 of our veterans and our military community that enables them to have once-in-a-lifetime experiences, whether it’s at the Super Bowl, in training camps, or different military installations.
“For me, that’s why I’m personally proud to be able to do this.”
With this partnership, USAA will continue to be the leader in military appreciation through the 2025 NFL season and beyond, but those unique experiences for veterans and active-duty military are only going to get better.
For example, USAA will continue to connect with military communities stationed overseas. They have previously hosted NFL Combine-style events at military installations in Germany and England, as well as Super Bowl watch parties at international locations. But USAA and the NFL will be collaborating even more to host annual overseas events during the league International Series, which spans multiple countries.
“We not only have watch parties, but we actually take people to the games in Germany, in England, wherever it happens to be,” Andrade pointed out.
Also, Andrade is particularly excited for the new, one-hour show focusing on Salute to Service programs undertaken by the league, teams and USAA. The show, which will premiere sometime in 2026, will showcase how USAA, the NFL, and every team within it honors, empowers and connects with the military in their communities and beyond.
“This is going to be a pretty unique thing to honor the commitment and sacrifice for the military community,” he said.
Lastly, USAA will remain the presenting sponsor of the “Salute to Service Award,” contributing $25,000 in the name of the award recipient to the military aid societies representing all U.S. military branches. That is also matched by the NFL Foundation to the recipient’s military charity of choice, and all 32 teams provide an award finalist.
Beginning in 2026, USAA will also be donating an additional $10,000 on behalf of each award finalist.
All of these exciting activations and giving-back moments are what makes Andrarde and everyone at USAA truly proud to show up to work every day to help all of the country’s service members.
Andrarde provided an anecdote explaining how much it also means to those players partnered with USAA.
“I participated in the Super Bowl in New Orleans earlier this year. One of the really neat things we get to do is have some of their favorite players come spend time with us in our activations,” he said. “Then, you will have young service members, come in and interact and talk with these players. It’s an amazing thing to watch because they both respect each other. Our veterans and our active-duty members respect the athleticism and the capabilities of these really incredible athletes. But it’s vice versa. These young men also see the service and sacrifice, and watching that is really cool.
“Frankly, what I like to tell our employees and our members, the way to become a member of USAA is doing something pretty cool and pretty special for your country. Now, it’s our turn to serve you. That’s really the empathy and genesis of all of this at the end of the day. Show appreciation for their sacrifice. Show that we have their backs at the end of the day.”
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