Some NFL players are excited about Olympic flag football. Others? Not so much.

USA Today

4 days ago

Editor's note: This story is a part of a series by USA TODAY Sports called Project: June. We will publish at least one NFL-themed story every day throughout the month because fans know the league truly never sleeps.
The idea of NFL players taking on the world in flag football just sounds cool, right? Players like Vikings star receiver Justin Jefferson loves the idea. He called it a "dream" in fact.
And that's how it's been portrayed throughout much of the media since it was decided NFL players will take part in the 2028 Olympics in flag football. This is a great thing. Players are jacked. Let's go kick some flag football butt, America!
But what if players aren't actually all that excited to be flag football Olympians?
There was a recent extremely under-reported remark from Bengals star receiver Ja'Marr Chase. He was asked about flag football and maybe spoke for more players than people want to acknowledge.
"I don't know how I feel about it, if I'm being completely honest,' Chase said, via WPCO's Marshall Kramsky. 'I want to know the timing for us, offseason, in-season. I want to know if we're getting paid. I want to know where we traveling every other week or every day, like all that plays a part, because we have an offseason, we have a life. Also, how long would that be? I don't know. There's a lot of questions to it."
The key part of that quote: We have an offseason, we have a life.
This doesn't mean that there are players who aren't excited about participating in the Olympics. There are and will be. It does mean there will be players who don't see the same level of excitement about it the league office and fans have.
When Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes was asked about Olympic flag football, he went all Roger Murtaugh from "Lethal Weapon:" 'I'll probably leave that to the younger guys. I'll be a little older by the time that thing comes around.'
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford just openly cracked up when asked about the Olympics. "You talking about coaching, or what?" he joked.
Speaking of coaches, Denver's Sean Payton has been talked about as someone who could lead the team. On June 6 he asked about the possibility of coaching the flag team and he was, well, noncommittal. For now.
'I don't want to answer questions in 2028 when I'm focused on Friday,' Payton said, laughing.
In part, what you're seeing, I believe, is that some players (and others) don't see flag football as a vital thing to do. Or at least not on the level of, say, Olympic basketball. The world had caught up to us in hoops (and even surpassed America) mandating the arrival of the Dream Team. Basketball was our game, not the world's, and we had to retake the sport from the clutches of others.
That's not the case with flag football. There's no nationwide call to beat everyone in flag football.
There's also no need for people to dive into this now. It's three years away.
You also hear in Chase's remarks the union and labor part of this. Players know the NFL will find a way to make tons of cash off of this, and Chase, understandably, wants to make sure players get their share. I respect him for that.
Again, others will get into the flag football groove. There's no question about that.
'I feel like it's always an honor to play for your country,' Falcons running back Bijon Robinson told Cory Muse of KVUE. 'Like, you always want to play for your country. I would love to show my skillset on that type of stage.
'So, I think it's going to come down to our schedule and where it lies, and if the teams even let us go. But I would love to play if given the opportunity. We'll see. I don't want it to affect my team and what we've got going here.'
'Yeah, I think it's great," Rams coach Sean McVay recently told reporters. "I think that is so far away from me. Coaching years are dog years, you know that. You hear Justin Jefferson come out and talk about, 'Man, that would be really cool.' That's awesome. Like I think you give guys the opportunity to say, 'Alright, well what's your preference on it?' And I think whatever our guys are…there's going to be the availability for maybe one guy on each team to be able to do that.
"And if that's something that players say they want to be able to do, then I think it's a really cool experience for them to be able to be a part of while also acknowledging that man, there are some other guys that have been doing it. I'm not going to pretend to understand the nuances tactically and what that game entails, but I think it's good. I think it's great.'
There's definitely that sentiment out there.
Still, there could be a lot more complexity to this flag football story than we know.