**How many star NFL players will skip the Olympics’ flag football event?**
The NFL announced yesterday unanimous approval to allow its players to participate in the Olympics, but how many will take up the offer? Unlike every other major American team sports, there is no international presence, nor precedent. And even more limiting, unlike other major American team sports, they are not playing the same game.
The NFL, you see, still plays tackle football, despite what some seasoned fans may argue, and the Olympics will be conducting a flag football tournament. While the NFL adopted a flag football game as a replacement for its Pro Bowl, this is a stretch. Even Minnesota Vikings star WR Justin Jefferson, whom the NFL trotted out for the announcement, admitted he couldn’t commit to playing.
Granted, part of his inability to commit is the fact that the summer Olympics isn’t for a few more years. Either way, though, the Olympics do not conflict with the NFL season, at least not significantly. Or perhaps it will be more significant than upon initial inspection.
One thing that might encourage NFL players to participate in the first Olympics flag football tournament is the fact that the next summer Olympics will be in Los Angeles. It’s not like they’ll have to travel to Zimbabwe or Yugoslavia; indeed, many players probably live in the area.
But the Olympics are scheduled to overlap with NFL training camps, from mid- to late-July. That’s typically when NFL training camps open up. Under those circumstances, it’s hard to imagine many fringe roster players volunteering to play.
Still, the NBA and the NHL, for example, typically see very robust participation for their equivalent events. Any year Team USA doesn’t win the Olympic gold in basketball is considered an embarrassment. In theory, Team USA, full of NFL players, should dominate the Olympics, too, even if they play tackle football.
But are the Justin Jeffersons of the NFL willing to skip the opening of training camp to play flag football? Honestly, part of me thinks that NFL players native to other countries may have a stronger desire to participate for their homelands than American-born players might. That’s purely speculative on my part, though, and the only reason I don’t hope I’m wrong is due to the injury risk factor. Imagine if the NFL lost Patrick Mahomes because he tore his Achilles in the Olympics. But we can’t live in bubbles, either, and a gold medal is potentially a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And who wouldn’t want to skip a couple weeks in a dorm room?
_The Steelers are rebuilding, or reloading, whatever they feel the need to call it, after another disappointment last season. Though they limped into the playoffs, they once again embarrassed themselves therein._
_Just like last year, the biggest question hanging over the Steelers is_ [_the quarterback question_](https://steelersdepot.com/2025/04/schrager-thinks-steelers-passing-on-qb-in-1st-round-means-theyre-all-in-on-aaron-rodgers/)_. While they ultimately traded George Pickens, they have other decisions to make. The_ [_2025 NFL Draft class_](https://www.steelers.com/draft/) _is now behind us, so most of the roster construction is complete._
_But we still have a long offseason ahead for Steelers football, or football in shorts. Certain will-he-or-won’t-he situations remain in play, which we continue to monitor. Now it’s about evaluating the roster in place and filling holes as we go._