On Tuesday NFL owners officially approved their players to be able to participate in flag football during the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympics.
The question now is, what players from around the league will be interested in playing? Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ name will naturally be one of the first to come up, being that he has been the face of the NFL for over half a decade.
Mahomes actually commented on the possibility back in 2023 when discussions of NFL players being eligible to participate began.
Mahomes via Olympics.com: “NFL football, American football, has taken to further parts, all the way across the world, with flag football coming to the Olympics. I think it’s really cool because football is a great game that has given me so much and I want to make sure everyone gets the same experience that I got growing up. I definitely want to, but I’ve seen some of those guys play the flag football and they’re a little faster than I am,” he said. “I know there’s not, like, linemen blocking for you. I’ll be 31, 32 years old, so if I can still move around then, I’m going to try to get out there and throw the football around maybe in LA. Just don’t tell Coach Reid or Veach or anybody.”
NFL insider Jeff Darlington joined Kevin Clark on the “This Is Football” podcast on Wednesday and spoke about what players could be interested in playing, mentioning Mahomes specifically.
From Jeff Darlington: “I think that there will be a push, just like talking to Patrick Mahomes about it, for instance. I think there will be players that want the gold medal. I think it adds something to a resume that maybe the average American doesn’t understand. It’s the same thing in golf, they treasure that gold medal. It’s like a major to them, and it’s something different. And I think that that is a factor that when it comes up, I think that people are going to be surprised the level of interest that there is. Mahomes I think wants to do it. I really do.”
We know how deep Mahomes’ competitive drive is, so him wanting to participate in the Olympics and win a gold medal shouldn’t come as a surprise. A flag football team featuring NFL players would be overwhelmingly favorited to win the gold. Mahomes would obviously be a fine choice to lead the USA at quarterback, but as he alluded to, a more speedy QB may fit the flag football style of play a little better. On the flip side, it’s highly unlikely that the USA would lose regardless of which NFL players participate.
