Did Clay Matthews get a facelift? Here's full story behind viral new look

Clay Matthews is all set to make his debut as an NFL analyst for Netflix in Melbourne next week but now finds himself surrounded by an unexpected controversy.

Matthews' AI-generated image shared by TMZ on September 4 is making rounds on the internet, featuring a burly Matthews that enlarged many of his body features, triggering speculations that he might have had face surgery.

The facelift photos of Matthews have sparked intense debate among his fans, who are questioning whether these snaps are real and what actually happened to the former Green Bay Packers linebacker.

The outlet posted the photos on X (formerly called Twitter) and Instagram socials, captioned: “Clay Mathers was spotted out grabbing groceries looking VERY different after apparently getting work done.”

But soon after the snaps went viral, they sparked an internet frenzy, with online detectives quickly calling it an AI job done badly.

The face clearly doesn’t resemble Matthews; focus on the jawline, the enlarged chin, and those unusually puffy cheeks.

Rather, the snaps made him look more like a Disney cartoon character than a former NFL star.

The biggest clue that these were AI-generated was his enlarged arms and legs.

The outlet described the photos as an “ad” on X (formerly Twitter) and a “paid partnership” on Instagram posts, though it didn’t mention further details.

Matthews, hours later, after the photos sparked intense debate on the internet, jumped in with a response on an X account.

“Gigaclay,” he wrote on X in reaction to Bussin’ With the Boys’ post of one of the photos as they quipped in their caption, “You might not like it but this is what peak male performance looks like.”

Matthews appeared in 10 NFL seasons with the Packers and was widely recognised as a beast on the field and holds the title of the franchise's all-time sacks leader.

Before he announced his retirement in 2019, Matthews had been a six-time Pro Bowler and was named in the Packers’ Hall of Fame.

Matthews is all set to kick off his broadcasting career in Melbourne, Australia, on Friday, September 11, as the LA Rams and San Francisco 49ers clash, marking the first regular-season NFL game in Australia.