Last week, the [NFL voted to allow](https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/45236200/sources-nfl-allow-players-play-flag-football-2028-olympics) players to participate in the 2028 flag football Olympics. It’s unclear who will represent the United States and how the rosters will be picked. But on this holiday weekend, which Pittsburgh Steelers past or present would make up the best roster?
Though the official Olympic roster will contain 10 players, only five can take the field at one time. A quarterback, a center (who becomes a receiver post-snap), and three other players.
Keep in mind a couple things. In flag football, everyone plays offense and defense. And while the NFL opens a brand-new door into the athletes eligible to participate, rosters generally consist of smaller and shiftier players rather than the biggest players on the field. It’s a little man’s game. All these players would be assumed to play during their prime.
Below are my all-time Steelers selections. I’d love to hear yours, too.
#### Quarterback – Kordell Stewart
First instincts might be to place Ben Roethlisberger or Terry Bradshaw here. No question, they were better quarterbacks. But they need to play defense, too, and they’re simply not athletic enough for this sort of stage. Roethlisberger and Bradshaw were respectable athletes for the position but don’t reach the bar in flag football. In an event like this, teams don’t need the most elite passer, anyway.
Stewart was a dynamic player and electric at his best. He can throw, catch, run, and will be an asset defensively, playing cornerback early in high school before switching to quarterback. As a high school senior, he posted 40 total touchdowns. At Colorado, he ran for a combined 13 during his final two seasons. And in the NFL, he found the end zone 38 times as a runner and five times as a receiver. Known as “Slash” for his multi-positional versatility, the Steelers were creative with him, especially in the early years.
Want him to run the FB option? You got it.
Stewart is the perfect fit for an event like this.
#### Wide Receiver – Antonio Brown
Putting aside all the _other stuff_ he’s made [headlines for unrelated to football,](https://steelersdepot.com/2025/05/antonio-brown-allegedly-involved-in-altercation-ending-in-gunfire-friday-night-reportedly-detained-by-police/) Brown may not offer much defensively but he’d be uncoverable offensively. The NFL couldn’t cover him, much less some cobbler from Italy. From 2013-2018, he was the league’s top receiver and had he finished his career in Pittsburgh under good and stable terms, could’ve challenged the record book. His route running, catch-point ability, and post-catch shiftiness that made him so dangerous as a receiver and returner all play well in a flag football event.
Brown would be the No. 1 target of the offense and could carry a team himself. Taking a flag off him feels impossible.
#### Wide Receiver – Mike Wallace
Wallace didn’t reach the heights of greatness Brown did and if you’re ranking the Steelers’ greatest receivers, Wallace wouldn’t crack the top 10. But his speed would be a game changer in an environment like this, and he might be the fastest player at an event like this.
As a rookie in 2009, Wallace led the Steelers and NFL with 19.4 yards per reception. He bettered that figure in 2010, with 21 yards per catch. Since his 2009 draft year, Wallace still ranks tied for third with 43 receptions of 40-plus yards despite not catching a pass since 2017 and ranking just 52nd in total receptions over the same span.
Like Brown, Wallace isn’t being chosen for his defense. But he played defense throughout much of his high school career at O. Perry Walker in the early-to-mid 2000s. He won’t be completely one sided and that’s important.
#### Defensive Back – Rod Woodson
I know I said this list would primarily focused on smaller-stature players. Woodson wasn’t tall but compact and built well. But he’s just too impressive of an athlete to leave off this list. Arguably the No. 1 athlete in franchise history, Woodson was an Olympic-level sprinter and Pro Football Hall of Fame player. Truly the type of player you could throw onto the field, ask anything of, and expect him to achieve at a high level.
He was an elite returner and even minored in offense at Purdue, carrying the ball 15 times and notching seven receptions in 1986 with the Boilermakers.
Woodson would be a defensive ballhawk, picking off 71 passes throughout his career, 38 of which came in Pittsburgh. At 37 years old with the Oakland Raiders in 2002, he led the league with eight picks. To put that in perspective, no other player has intercepted more than five passes in their age-37 season. Heck, Woodson could probably put on a uniform in 2028 at age 63 and still hold his own.
For flag football, Woodson would serve as the team’s center, snapping the ball to Stewart before going out into his route. He’s never played offensive line, but I have a feeling he’d do just fine handling the duties.
He’s a no-brainer for a list like this.
#### Defensive Back – Troy Polamalu
It’s fun to think of an outside-the-box option. In the end, Polamalu is just too strong of a choice. Like Woodson, he didn’t tower over opponents but doesn’t fit the prototypical mold of a flag football player. Still, he’s a remarkable athlete who could make plays others couldn’t even dream of. His range defensively would scare any quarterback from throwing near him.
Polamalu could make an impact on offense, too. In high school, he starred on both sides of the ball. As a junior, he rushed for over 1,000 yards with another 300 receiving. He might be the best player to take the field in an event like this.
Those are the starting five. Listed in no order, here’s a handful of honorable mentions of non-quarterbacks:
RB Willie Parker WR Louis Lipps CB Ike Taylor (the bad hands keep him off the list) WR Hines Ward DB Carnell Lake WR Lynn Swann RB Le’Veon Bell TE Eric Green WR Diontae Johnson
RB/QB/DB Bill Dudley