2028 preview on the gridiron? Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer joined Pa. Gov. Josh Shapiro at the Lions-Eagles game

As top NFC contenders Lions and Eagles go head-to-head Sunday night, two potential contenders for a very different sort of contest will be looking on.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro is hosting Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer at Lincoln Financial Field. The two swing-state governors are seen as likely rivals for the Democratic nomination in the 2028 presidential election.

Sporting sweatshirts for their respective state’s teams in the primetime matchup, the pair mingled on field prior to pickup. They did not place a wager on the game, a Shapiro spokesperson said.

“Awesome to have my friend and fellow Governor @GretchenWhitmer in Philly for Sunday Night Football. Go Birds!" Shapiro posted on X.

Whitmer added in her own post: “Nothing like Sunday Night Football and a friendly rivalry. Great to be with you tonight @JoshShapiroPA. Let’s go Lions!"

Whitmer also came to the Philadelphia area last year to join Shapiro at a rally for Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign in Montgomery County, where Shapiro is from.

The governors gushed about each other on that occasion. Whitmer called Shapiro one of her “very best friends.” Shapiro referred to Whitmer by her nickname, “Big Gretch,” and praised her record as governor.

Shapiro is up for reelection next year. If he wins a second term, many political observers are all but presuming the famously ambitious governor will seek the White House.

Whitmer’s aspirations are less clear, and her comments on 2028 are often put under a microscope.

“I don’t know if I need to be the main character in the next chapter, but I want to have a hand in writing it, and I think I’ve got an important vantage point as the governor of an important swing state,” Whitmer reportedly told Canadian journalist Steve Paikin. “And so I anticipate helping, but I don’t know if I’m going to be the person.”