NFL and Players Union Negotiate Rules for Athletes to Compete in 2028 Olympic Flag Football

The National Football League and the NFL Players Association are in talks to finalize the terms that would permit NFL athletes to compete in the flag football events slated for the 2028 Los Angeles Games. A owners’ resolution passed last year gave the league’s management council authority to negotiate with the NFLPA, Olympic officials and national governing bodies on issues such as field-surface standards, medical provisions, injury-insurance policies and salary-cap credits for injured players.

The agreement would limit each NFL team to a single representative on a country’s roster, while also allowing players in a team’s international program to participate for their nation. Over 200 players, among them quarterbacks Josh Allen and Joe Burrow, have expressed serious interest, and the Olympic tournament runs from July 15 to July 22 at BMO Stadium, minimizing conflict with NFL training camps. League executives like Peter O'Reilly and Troy Vincent emphasized the importance of flag football for global growth, and the NFL recently eliminated the Pro Bowl in favor of flag-football content. The timeline for concluding the negotiations remains unclear, but teams and players will need clear policies well before the Games.