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NFL players are moving closer to receiving the go-ahead to compete in the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
On Tuesday, NFL owners are expected to pass a resolution allowing players under contract to participate in the competition at the 2028 Olympics, with Team USA or another country. The proposal, which includes a condition that only one player per NFL team can participate, needs to receive 24 yes votes from the 32 teams during the spring ownership meetings in Minneapolis.
The Olympics would give the NFL an additional platform as it ramps up its globalization efforts with seven international games this year—the most ever played outside of the U.S. Owners hope flag football, which is tied to the league’s growth efforts, will draw increased interest from international viewers.
There will be additional negotiations between the NFLPA, the IOC and International Federation of American Football to determine the most efficient Olympic trial structure and player protections. The stakeholders involved will also need time to finalize other injury and scheduling considerations because the start of NFL training camps will likely overlap with the Games.
“Fans more and more are following individual players, not just teams,” former NFL chief marketing officer Dawn Hudson said in a phone interview. “Obviously, the owners are going to be concerned about [potential] injury and that affecting their team. That’s the downside. But the upside will be more exposure and a greater following for their players.”
In the U.S., the NFL has relied on flag football to grow youth participation, specifically with girls. The league was influential in getting men’s and women’s flag football included in the 2028 Olympic sports program. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in February that the league is considering the launch of a separate pro flag football league for men and women.
In recent years, NFL players have started to embrace the league’s flag football efforts—an effort that became clear when the Pro Bowl switched from its traditional tackle format to a non-contact game in 2023. Some of football’s biggest stars, including Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Miami Dolphins wideout Tyreek Hill, have expressed interest competing in the Olympics.
“If I was a player, I would love to play,” former NFLPA president Domonique Foxworth said in a phone interview. “As a young football player, it’s something that never crosses your mind. We like to win stuff, and a gold medal would be pretty damn cool.”
The start of NFL meetings followed Monday’s announcement from USA Football of 12-athlete rosters for this year’s men’s and women’s national flag football teams. The teams will compete at the IFAF Americas Continental Flag Football Championship in Panama in September. The men’s team, which has won five straight IFAF world championships, includes quarterback Darrell “Housh” Doucette, who went viral for stating he’s better in the flag format than Mahomes.
“NFL players are increasingly aware that there are special skills that elite flag football requires,” former president of American Flag Football League Brian Michael Cooper said in a phone interview.
Cooper, now an attorney working with law firm Greenberg Traurig, said NFL players must acknowledge they are competing for a spot on a successful team already stacked with talented players. “The [NFL] players know they’ll also have to adapt competing on a smaller field.”
There are still questions to be answered regarding player eligibility and the transparency of trials. It remains unclear how NFL players are going to have to qualify for the final 12-man Team USA roster. Among the possible options are a digital scouting combine or a sanctioned tournament. Regardless, nothing is guaranteed.
“They’re going to have to try out like everyone else,” Cooper said.
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