NFL anticipated to approve gamers in ’28 Video games, however ought to it?

IF AND WHEN NFL gamers are permitted to symbolize Crew USA in flag soccer throughout the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, Minnesota Vikings working again Aaron Jones wish to convey a easy message:

Signal me up.

“Flag soccer gamers could also be upset at me for this, however sure, I might completely adore it,” Jones stated. “Each different sport will get a possibility to win a gold medal, and when you’re not serving your nation within the navy, I really feel like that is the opposite highest honor which you can symbolize your nation in.”

Jones and lots of the key stakeholders wanted to make this a actuality have already made their positions clear on the thought of NFL gamers collaborating within the Olympic debut of flag soccer.

“Man, that notion of with the ability to symbolize your nation, whether or not you are going to symbolize Crew USA, Asia, Mexico — no matter — that is the final word dream,” NFL government vice chairman of soccer operations Troy Vincent stated.

Amongst gamers, Jones is joined by many — together with Kansas Metropolis Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Miami Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill — who’ve expressed curiosity.

“It is an ideal alternative to get all people taking part in one sport, representing America as a complete, and hopefully get a gold medal,” New England Patriots receiver Stefon Diggs instructed ESPN.

The prospect even has help amongst house owners.

“That is thrilling and optimistic for the NFL,” Dallas Cowboys proprietor Jerry Jones stated. “I can see that and establish with that actual fast… I am a fan of what the Olympics can do for curiosity in your sport.”

With a lot widespread floor, it may appear as if NFL gamers suiting up within the Los Angeles Video games can be a slam dunk. In actuality, it would require the events to navigate many thorny points.

When NFL house owners convene in Minnesota this week for his or her spring assembly, they’re anticipated to approve a decision launched final Thursday that goals to make this a actuality. They vote Tuesday, and the decision must be authorized by no less than 24 of the 32 group house owners.

Lots of the ultimate particulars stay a great distance off and are but to be negotiated between the NFL, the gamers’ union and Olympic governing our bodies. For now, the proposal requires the six collaborating nations (which haven’t but been recognized) to pick a most of 1 NFL participant every, with Crew USA anticipated to be capped at 10 gamers.

“I feel total, [flag football in the Olympics is] a terrific factor,” Inexperienced Bay Packers normal supervisor Brian Gutenkunst stated. “I might adore it if we saved the NFL gamers out of it.”

However the NFL is all-in on flag soccer, with the league having way back decided it’s a key to solidifying the subsequent era’s curiosity in soccer. The NFL is partnering with flag packages throughout the nation to help development of the sport, together with the speedy development of women flag soccer on the youth and highschool degree. The league can also be within the early phases of growing separate skilled flag leagues for women and men, with preliminary investor bids already submitted.

Flag competitors within the Olympics can also be key to the NFL’s efforts to increase curiosity within the sport globally, with the league’s worldwide efforts turning into extra of a central focus. The NFL is scheduled to play seven worldwide video games this yr, together with its first regular-season video games in Dublin, Berlin and Madrid. Having flag soccer as a part of the world’s grandest worldwide sporting occasion is seen as a significant win by the NFL, which strongly supported the trouble so as to add flag soccer to the Olympics.

However that doesn’t imply getting NFL gamers to that stage will come with out obstacles.

“It is undoubtedly a piece in progress,” Vincent stated. “For the [teams], how do you get to a spot the place you are snug, ensuring the entire safeguards are in place, within the occasion that certainly one of your athletes possibly places his hand as much as probably take part?

“Ensuring that we, the league, golf equipment, gamers, gamers’ affiliation, everybody’s taking the entire proper precautionary measures within the occasion that somebody desires to go symbolize the nation, that’s nonetheless a piece in progress.”

IF OWNERS VOTE to move the decision, which sources instructed ESPN’s Adam Schefter is predicted, it merely authorizes the NFL to work towards the objectives outlined within the proposal, with all future agreements topic to the end result of negotiations with the NFL Gamers Affiliation and the assorted Olympic governing our bodies.

Damage safety would, maybe, be the most important impediment.

Presently, accidents that happen away from official group capabilities are labeled as “non-football accidents,” and groups aren’t required to pay a participant’s wage whereas he recovers from one. However the decision proposes damage safety and salary-cap reduction stemming from an damage to a participant collaborating within the Olympics.

The league would additionally search an settlement with Olympic officers to make sure that NFL minimal requirements are met for medical staffs and taking part in fields used for competitions.

Flag soccer is just not as harmful as deal with soccer. That is why the NFL has moved to a flag-football mannequin within the Professional Bowl Video games in recent times. However the prospect of accidents stays actual and have to be accounted for upfront.

In consequence, there is not common settlement that this can be a good thought.

Gutenkunst, for instance, cited “the chance” of damage because the factor that gave him pause.

Insurance coverage preparations can be a significant part of resolving this situation. The decision states a number of league-wide insurance coverage insurance policies can be searched for damage safety.

After all, protecting monetary losses from an damage is barely a part of the equation. It doesn’t, as an example, make dropping a key participant any much less painful in the case of changing him on the sphere.

“We wish the very best well being and security requirements, identical to we do in a [NFL] sport,” stated Jeff Miller, NFL government vice chairman for communications, public affairs and coverage. “So, we wish to discuss to the gamers affiliation in regards to the fields, we wish to discuss to the governing physique and others who could also be within the enterprise of regulating that to make it possible for we get that proper.”

To not be ignored right here is the potential battle of Olympic duties with the NFL’s offseason and coaching camp schedule. NFL coaching camps happen in late July, and the ’28 Video games are scheduled for July 14-30.

The NBA, NHL and Main League Baseball way back found out methods through which their gamers may take part in worldwide competitions, so there are blueprints for the NFL to comply with.

Nevertheless it’s a brand new idea for soccer, which has a three-phase offseason program that often begins earlier than the draft in April and lasts till mid-June. The decision in entrance of homeowners is obscure on this entrance, saying solely that “flag-football video games and associated occasions” ought to be scheduled in a approach “that doesn’t unreasonably battle with an NFL participant’s league and membership commitments.”

What which means, particularly, stays to be seen. The present expectation of nationwide group hopefuls below USA Soccer — the game’s governing physique in the US — is that they attend the Crew USA coaching camp previous to worldwide competitions. That is when evaluations are made and the ultimate roster and alternates chosen. How all of this may dovetail with the NFL’s offseason exercise schedule and preseason camps stays unclear.

When the subject was broached lately with Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh, he wasn’t precisely thrilled about the potential of his dual-threat quarterback, two-time Most Invaluable Participant Lamar Jackson, being absent for parts of an offseason.

“I am afraid I’ve a quarterback that’d in all probability be fairly good at [flag football], so, no, I am not that enthusiastic about that in all honesty,” Harbaugh stated. “I consider in America. I would like gold medals, however …”

The NFL may modify its schedule, because the NHL has agreed to do by instituting an Olympic break throughout the 2026 and 2030 Winter Video games. Nevertheless it’s unclear whether or not such an answer has been broached.

Cleveland Browns normal supervisor Andrew Berry introduced some levity to the talk, addressing the hypothetical of a star participant like Mahomes collaborating within the ’28 Video games. Go for it, Berry successfully stated, hinting that Mahomes’ absence would not be ideally suited for AFC powerhouse Kansas Metropolis — however probably useful for opponents.

“I am maybe a bit bit skeptical that possibly we’ll see the Patrick Mahomeses of the world skip [training camp], as a lot as I might be very in favor of that, if he is listening,” Berry stated. “Skip coaching camp and do the Olympics.

“I feel it stays to be seen what that appears like. However I would like that to achieve success for our sport.”

MEDICAL RESEARCHERS HAVE solely lately begun gathering information on the well being impression and damage dangers of flag soccer. A 2021 research led by a doctor on the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention (CDC) indicated that head accidents in flag soccer are about 15 instances much less widespread than deal with soccer at comparable age ranges.

The comparatively nonviolent nature of flag soccer promotes a notion of low danger for among the NFL’s most necessary decision-makers.

“[Injuries] would not be a problem for me,” Jerry Jones stated. “Timing, availability, conflicts [would be]. However I would not be involved with accidents. Not with flag.”

Ought to Jones be extra involved? Dr. Robert Parisien, orthopedic sports activities drugs surgeon from New York Mt. Sinai Well being System, coauthored a 2025 research analyzing 10 years of flag soccer damage information pulled from the Nationwide Digital Damage Surveillance System. The research discovered 2,508 accidents attributed to flag soccer over that interval that have been severe sufficient to be introduced in hospital emergency rooms, and it decided that the commonest accidents for adults have been to fingers, probably as they prolonged to seize flags, in addition to sprains and strains.

“There is definitely danger of damage in flag soccer,” Parisien stated, “and that is form of one of many misnomers, that flag soccer has a really low danger of damage to it. Head collisions and trauma could also be much less in flag soccer than in touch soccer, nevertheless it nonetheless happens. You see some muscle strains, tendon strains, nevertheless it’s actually powerful to extrapolate and see what a younger NFL-caliber athlete might expertise.

Jalen Ramsey exhibiting no mercy to Tyreek Hill on the Professional Bowl 😂

🎥: @NFL pic.twitter.com/178hLtjlnY

— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) February 5, 2023

“As a result of I’ll say that in flag soccer, particularly when you’re taking part in it aggressively and also you’re that degree of athlete, you are taking part in on the aggressive degree that they are going to play this at, they’re actually in danger for head trauma, and completely strains and sprains like traditional. However they’re in danger for concussions. They’re in danger for ligamentous damage. The commonest mechanism, for instance, for an ACL rupture is a noncontact twisting damage. That is not contact-related.”

The NFL wants solely to return in its personal historical past to seek out the nightmare state of affairs. Patriots working again Robert Edwards suffered a catastrophic left knee damage whereas taking part in a sanctioned flag soccer sport on a seashore in Hawaii throughout Professional Bowl week in February 1999. Edwards tore all three ligaments within the knee, partially tore a fourth and in addition ruptured an artery after leaping to catch a move. He missed three full seasons, returned for a quick stint with the Miami Dolphins in 2002 and finally retired.

Edwards’ plight is an excessive instance and should have been exacerbated by sand that will not be current on the Olympics. However Parisien referenced it as a reminder of the vary of danger.

“I am positive in his thoughts he thought, ‘Nicely, I am solely taking part in flag soccer. I’m in all probability going to be nice. I will simply go and have some enjoyable, proper?'” Parisien stated. “Do not get me mistaken. Personally, I feel it is fantastic that these athletes wish to compete in flag soccer below our flag and symbolize our nation. I feel that is unbelievable. I personally suppose that is an exquisite factor that they wish to do.

“However as a doctor, I’ve to say that in fact they’re prone to damage.”

DARRELL “HOUSH” DOUCETTE is likely one of the world’s premier flag gamers. A quarterback on Crew USA and the longest-tenured member of the nationwide group, Doucette was among the many gamers known as upon by the NFL to offer gamers a crash course on flag soccer earlier than latest Professional Bowls.

Doucette would not have the title recognition of the NFL’s largest stars, however he nonetheless believes he’s simply as well-suited to play for a gold medal as lots of the finest gamers in professional soccer. He welcomes the competitors — simply not the assumptions in regards to the finish end result.

“We simply do not suppose they are going to have the ability to stroll on the sphere and make the Olympic group due to the title,” he instructed The Guardian final yr. “They nonetheless must go on the market and compete.”

He is received a degree.

The thought of NFL gamers competing within the Olympics may be thrilling, however there are a slew of gamers who’ve been competing on the worldwide stage in flag soccer — and, within the case of Crew USA, dominating — for years. The U.S. males have received the previous 5 world championships. The ladies have received the previous three.

The NFL has gamers with ties to greater than 70 nations, so there’s a lengthy checklist of countries that gamers may probably symbolize within the Olympics. However for American gamers and people from nations with a protracted historical past of competing, there ought to be no assumption that NFL gamers can be finest suited to what’s a really completely different sport.

“On the finish of the day, I really feel like I am higher than Patrick Mahomes due to my IQ of the sport.”

-US Flag soccer QB Darrell Doucette

pic.twitter.com/G2gKTWHctj

— Barstool Sports activities (@barstoolsports) August 21, 2024

“There’s some delicate variations between deal with soccer and flag soccer, and I am not going to imagine that deal with soccer gamers are the easiest possibility, to be fairly trustworthy with you,” Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin stated. “We’ll see. It is going to be thrilling and fascinating for me. Looks like dimension is much less of a think about flag soccer. We would have … a bunch of 140-pound guys working round on the market. I do not know.”

Presently, there are numerous necessities set forth by USA Soccer that gamers should undergo earlier than ascending to the U.S. nationwide group (every nationwide group can develop its personal course of). Athletes who advance obtain an invitation to the USA Soccer trials, the place the pool is trimmed to 60 gamers. These gamers advance to the USA Soccer coaching camp, the place the ultimate roster — 10 gamers for the 2028 Olympics — can be chosen.

That is a probably prolonged course of, maybe complicating NFL gamers’ potential to pursue a roster spot. However a streamlined pathway for NFL gamers may very well be carried out in the event that they obtain approval to compete.

“If NFL gamers are eligible, we’re prepared to assist create alternatives for these athletes to showcase their expertise and be included on the nationwide group,” stated Scott Hallenbeck, CEO and government director of USA Soccer. “USA Soccer’s final objective is to carry house two gold medals in flag soccer, and we’re dedicated to exploring each path to construct the strongest Crew USA potential.”

However for NFL gamers to be part of that effort, a labyrinth of points should first be navigated. And the events aren’t fairly there simply but.

“How will we go about it, crossing all of the T’s, dotting all of the I’s, ensuring everybody’s snug?” Vincent stated. “There’s nonetheless some work to do for positive.”

Brooke Pryor, Daniel Oyefusi, Rob Demovsky and Jamison Hensley contributed to this report.