Last week, NFL owners unanimously approved a groundbreaking move: allowing players to compete in flag football at the 2028 Olympics. Commissioner Roger Goodell made it official during the Spring League Meeting, confirming long-rumored discussions behind the scenes. The decision opens the door for NFL stars to chase Olympic gold—something fans never thought they’d see. Now, the question isn’t just who will play—it’s who will dominate the world stage.
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Though it’s something to look forward to, not everyone is a fan of the NFL players being allowed to play flag football in the Olympics. Flag football players are fearful that the NFL players will take their spots on the national roster, taking away their opportunity to participate in the Olympics.
Flag football quarterback Darrell Doucette, (who said he’d be a better flag football player than Patrick Mahomes in the past) wasn’t afraid to speak his mind recently about NFL players playing flag football.
In an interview with the Washington Post’s Adam Kilgore, Doucette explained with confidence why flag football players should be allowed to play. He thinks that they’d do better than the NFL players and said they “don’t need other guys,” to win/be successful.
“The flag guys deserve their opportunity,” Doucette claimed. “That’s all we want. We felt like we worked hard to get the sport to where it’s at, and then when the NFL guys spoke about it, it was like we were getting kicked to the side. I felt like I was the guy who could speak for my peers, for my brothers that’s been working hard to get to this level, for us not to be forgotten.”
On a Reddit post where a football page recited Doucette’s quote, football fans slammed the flag football quarterback, stating the team would be with NFL players.
One user, known as @reddogrjw proposed for Baltimore Raven quarterback Lamar Jackson to start for the team. Another user known as @EMTDawg suggested having Jackson and Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray on the field at the same time. With their shiftiness, size, and speed, fans think those two QBs would excel in the flag game.
Redditors want Lamar Jackson as the Team USA Flag Football QB after Darrell “Housh” Doucette says NFL players aren’t needed for the Olympics team. pic.twitter.com/aHC4n8g6gR
— NFL Tweets 2024 (@nfltweets2024) May 27, 2025
Another Redditor in the same thread said that Jackson and Murray could probably destroy Doucette when it comes to anything that has to do with athleticism and a fan agreed.
If there was no NFL, there would be no flag football. While the rules of the game are slightly different with the main focus of there being less contact, the best football athletes in the world play in the NFL. When you compile guys together such as Ja’Marr Chase, Justin Jefferson, Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, and many of the other US stars, it’s tough to match their athleticism.
Regardless, football is a big part of the American culture, and it would be tough to see another country defeat them in the port. The NFL players would most likely give Team USA the best bet at gold over any other football players from any other league.
