Justin Pugh had been in State Farm Stadium dozens of times before Thursday night.
But the former Cardinals offensive lineman had never been there when he wasn't a player. And he certainly had never taken in a game as a fan.
That's what Pugh does now in retirement, among other things. Beginning last season, Pugh attended every Thursday night game last season and created a YouTube series around his travels, and this year has evolved it into top matchups each week regardless of the day.
"I try to show what it's like to be a fan," Pugh said. "I'm eating the food they eat, tailgating how they tailgate, dealing with parking issues, dealing with all the things fans deal with. It's completely changed my appreciation of fandom, and how much the game means to so many people. How what we do on the field impacts so many lives."
Pugh's 11-year NFL career included five seasons and 57 games with the Cardinals, where he was a starter in all but one game. Injuries shortened two of his seasons in Arizona, where he was not only a linchpin of the offensive line but a go-to quote in the locker room.
He wasn't officially retired during the first season of his around-the-NFL journey; that came in July when it was clear no more phone calls were coming. One of Pugh's passions when he was playing was helping players to think about their lives after football. Now that Pugh is doing the same, it doesn't make it any easier.
"Never smooth, always hard," Pugh said. "You think you're doing too much, you think you're not doing enough. But staying connected to the game through this has been amazing."
Pugh normally catches up with former teammates or guys around the league he knows before every game, after he has parked and tailgated and whatever else he can get to. It was different Thursday, as Pugh told the crew whom he was traveling with about how the field tray rolls in for a game, and how playing on the natural grass "probably added two or three years to my career."
"This is one of my favorites stadiums, and now all the additions, to the casitas and the Great Lawn and to the suite level, it's a spectacular gameday experience," Pugh said.
Pugh recently moved his family to the East Coast to be closer to family, although he admitted his return to Arizona reminded how much he liked living in the Valley. His career with a Cardinal didn't end the way he wanted, with a torn ACL in 2022 after just five games. He played one more season when he returned to the New York Giants.
But now he's just another fan. Kind of.
"It really has grounded me, sitting with the fans," Pugh said. "Sometimes they get angry. The fans give you a hard time if you don't play a great game. You are realizing why. I want to be able to continue to bridge that gap between fan and player."
