On Tuesday, team owners from all 32 markets unanimously voted in favour of allowing NFL players to participate in flag football at the 2028 Olympic Games.
The decision, which was welcomed by the IOC, opens the doors for football’s biggest talents to hit the world stage — with a few caveats, of course. The league has stated that only one player from each NFL roster can try out per national team. Rosters are capped at 10 players each, making team projections pretty interesting.
Fun, too.
With the vast majority of NFL players hailing from the United States, talk of forming a U.S. Dream Team is already booming. The prospect of watching the NFL’s best suit up for a meaningful game of five-on-five football is too enticing not to start thinking ahead to what that squad might look like.
With all that in mind, we’ve put together a 10-player roster, offence and defence, of players we want to see in the Olympic Games in 2028.
OFFENCE
According to the NFL FLAG rules (which you can read more about here), there are four offensive positions: quarterback, center, wide receiver and running back. With no contact or blocking permitted, there’s no need for an offensive line. And there’s no kicking, either.
Quarterback: Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
It should be noted, off the top, that when asked during a podcast appearance last year about participating in the Olympic Games, Jackson gave a response that was… less than enthusiastic. But this is a dream team we’re putting together, with “dream” being the keyword… so, let’s just go with it, because the idea of watching him in a game of five-on-five is simply too enticing to ignore.
Granted, given the number of elite quarterbacks in the game today — Patrick Mahomes! Josh Allen! Joe Burrow! Jayden Daniels! — it’s hard to land on a wrong answer here. While NFL FLAG rules indicate that the player who takes the snap cannot take off running across the line of scrimmage — thus negating any potential one-man plays for Jackson — Jackson’s ability to dip and dodge and elude oncoming pass-rushers makes him an ideal candidate for the No. 1 QB role. And the possibilities to use him as a yards-after-catch receiver or a running back taking a hand-off? That just sounds like fun.
Centre: Brock Bowers, TE, Las Vegas Raiders
Flag football doesn’t have an offensive or defensive line, but there’s still a centre position — someone’s got to snap the ball to the quarterback — and it’s maybe the most unique position in this iteration of the game.
In flag football, the center is a hybrid between a conventional NFL center and a receiver — someone who can immediately launch into a route as a pass-catcher after snapping the ball to the quarterback. The multi-purpose nature of the tight end position in a conventional NFL offence could make sense here. While there’s no blocking in flag football, having a big body to capture short-yard gains as a sure-handed outlet for quick pitches makes sense for a tight end. And Brock Bowers could be a perfect fit. Fresh off a rookie campaign that saw him break multiple receiving records for first-year tight ends, Bowers is a star on the rise and in three years’ time will be the top TE in the game (if he isn’t there already).
His six-foot-four presence would be particularly enticing as a redzone asset, especially in situations where the offence is within five yards of the end zone — an area in which run plays are not permitted.
Receivers: Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals; Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings
Last time we saw Jefferson and Chase hit the field together, they were putting on a masterclass of offensive playmaking en route to LSU winning the National Championship with Joe Burrow throwing them the ball. Talk about a real-life dream team. Because the NFL has stated that no two players from the same club can suit up for the same national squad, we won’t get a reunion of all three, but we could see Chase and Jefferson reunite.
This duo doesn’t require much of an explanation. Chase and Jefferson ranked No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, in receiving yards in 2024 and are known not just for their exceptional route-running but their deep-threat abilities and, in Chase’s case in particular, elite yards-after-catch, too.
As easy as this decision feels, however, it’s admittedly hard not to include other names — players like Giants receiver Malik Nabers, who as a rookie in 2024 finished fifth in receptions league-wide, catching passes from Daniel Jones, Drew Lock, and Tommy DeVito. Give him an elite QB and three more seasons’ worth of experience, and he could wind up being the top guy for the Team USA job in 2028.
Running back: Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit Lions
The 2024 season brought a strong resurgence for the run game, with both Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry putting up monster numbers with explosive plays. We’re leaning younger in naming our 2028 running back, which gives Gibbs the edge here.
Gibbs can do it all, but in a game focused not on physicality as much as finesse, it’s his shiftiness and speed that make him so enticing here. The star RB twice registered among the top 10 fastest ball carriers last season. And it’s his pass-catching ability, too, that makes him so appealing here — something he excelled at in 2024, ranking third in receiving yards among NFL running backs. (Because run plays aren’t permitted if a team snaps the ball within five yards of the end zone, Gibbs’ usage as a pass-catcher will be key.)
DEFENCE
Because there’s no offensive line to break through, and only a maximum of two rushers are allowed on any given play, our flag football roster leans heavily on those who excel at pass coverage. But we can’t resist the top edge rushers in the game, too.
Rushers: Myles Garrett, Cleveland Browns; Micah Parsons, Dallas Cowboys
Imagine taking a snap and not having a wall of offensive linemen between you and the NFL’s best edge rushers. While flag football is not a contact sport, it’s still got to be intimidating to try to evade Garrett and Parsons, who both boast elite speed and explosiveness in pursuit of ball-carriers. Parsons is a true do-it-all defender and could be used not just in rushing scenarios but in the secondary, as well, while Garrett’s reach would have opposing QBs wary of putting the ball anywhere near him.
Defensive backs: Pat Surtain II, Denver Broncos; Derek Stingley, Houston Texans; Travis Hunter, Jacksonville Jaguars
Stingley has quickly become a top NFL cornerback, registering five interceptions in back-to-back campaigns as a young leader on Houston’s defence. Surtain is already there — he’s coming off a career-best season that saw him earn defensive players of the year honours. At just 23 and 25 years old, respectively, their best football is ahead of them. Meanwhile, Hunter has yet to prove his talent on the NFL stage, but we’re elevating him to the Olympic level already because of just how dynamic a talent he is. He might just be the perfect flag football player — when he’s not defending against an opponent’s top target, he can take snaps on offence as a receiver. With only 10 roster spots permitted, having a dual-threat athlete like Hunter would be a major asset, not to mention a lot of fun to watch.
from Sportsnet.ca
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