With flag football officially coming to the Los Angeles Summer Olympics in 2028, fans have been eager to know whether or not NFL players will be able to participate.
The idea seems like an uphill battle. Given how much NFL players are paid, it’s difficult to imagine owners being willing to risk injury to their players during Olympic competition.
The NHL, for instance, has gone back and forth about releasing their players for Olympic competition throughout its history. NHL players will be allowed to represent their countries in the Winter Olympics for the first time since 2012 in Milan-Cortina next year.
But playing flag football might be a bit of a harder sell considering NFL players would, in many ways, be playing an entirely different sport. The comparison to hockey isn’t really apples-to-apples.
Nevertheless, the NFL is taking efforts to promote flag football and raise its profile. The league wants the sport’s Olympic debut to be a success come 2028, and NFL player participation would go a long way in making that success a reality.
NFL owners are set to vote on a proposal Tuesday that would allow one player from each team to participate in the 2028 Olympics. And ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter reports that, despite potential injury concern, owners will be willing to pass the initiative.
ESPN sources: A vote to allow NFL players to participate in flag football for the first time during the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles is expected to pass at today’s league meeting in Minneapolis. Nothing is official yet, but as one source said about today’s vote, “Olympics… pic.twitter.com/SiV8ut3IyZ
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 20, 2025
“A vote to allow NFL players to participate in flag football for the first time during the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles is expected to pass at today’s league meeting in Minneapolis,” Schefter reported on Tuesday morning. “Nothing is official yet, but as one source said about today’s vote, ‘Olympics should be easy.'”
Should Schefter’s reporting be accurate, Tuesday’s vote will be a huge boon for the sport’s prospects come 2028, and would certainly make it a more appealing television product for existing fans of tackle football.