NFL fans hoping to see their favorite stars compete in the 2028 Olympics received good news on Tuesday. That afternoon, the league’s owners voted to allow players to suit up for their country in flag football. This frees up Justin Jefferson, Ja’Marr Chase, and others to potentially capture a gold medal for Team USA.
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While wide receivers and cornerbacks are seemingly all set for the event, some head coaches aren’t sure that letting their signal-callers participate is the smartest idea. Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh expressed caution about his two-time MVP, Lamar Jackson, partaking in the competition.
“I’m afraid I have a quarterback that’d probably be pretty good at [flag football], so, no, I’m not that excited about that in all honesty,” John Harbaugh told ESPN.
Jackson’s electrifying dual-threat abilities are an ideal fit for flag football. Patrick Mahomes’ shiftiness and deceptive speed – plus his arm talent, of course – also make him a compelling option.
Mahomes spoke about the possibility of Olympic play when in Germany during the 2023 campaign. He told reporters he’d do his best to make it happen.
“Oh, I definitely want to. But I’ve seen some of those guys play flag football, and they’re a little faster than I am… [and] there’s not like lineman blocking for you… I’ll be 31, 32 years old. So if I can still move around, then I’m gonna try to get out there and throw the football around.”
However, he did ask to keep the new from his Head Coach Andy Reid, who might not be very thrilled to lose his star quarterback to the international waters of the Olympics.
“Just don’t tell Coach [Andy] Reid or [general manager Brett] Veach or anybody,” Mahomes joked.
Mahomes isn’t the only player ready to battle other nations on the gridiron. Tyreek Hill and Aaron Jones are both eager for the opportunity. Jones told ESPN he would “absolutely love it.” But there are still some things that need to be sorted out.
First off, the timing. The Olympics are slated for 17 days (July 14-30). Flag football wouldn’t transpire on all of those dates, but typical NFL training camps would. Any changes to training camp would theoretically impact the regular season schedule as well. And the NFL doesn’t have much wiggle room there. Nobody wants to wait longer than they have to for football to return.
Some executives, like Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst, are worried about injuries. Insurance and classification of ailments picked up in the Olympics could become hotly contested. And if there’s no agreement on how to handle those issues, there won’t be any NFL players out there for Team USA.
Then, of course, some players could elect not to suit up. Justin Jefferson is happy his peers will have the chance to do so, but he wasn’t willing to sign up himself just yet.
The point? There are many factors still up for discussion that could impact NFL player participation in the Olympics. The owners’ ruling was merely the first step in the process. We’ll get a much better idea about the feasibility of it all in the months and years ahead.
