With the news that the NFL will allow players to participate in the debut of flag football in the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, let’s fast-forward three years and ponder which current league stars would best translate.
Keep in mind that it’s almost a different sport. Olympic flag football is 5-on-5, with a quarterback, three receivers or backs and a center who is immediately eligible as a receiver. So there’s no need for a traditional offensive lineman. The defense has a single designated rusher who must be seven yards behind the line at the snap. Quarterbacks cannot run with the ball, but they still need elusiveness to avoid sacks and extend plays.
As it stands, the Olympic roster would include only 10 players, which means almost no depth. So as we put together a potential NFL squad, we placed a premium on athleticism and the ability to play both ways in a pinch. Here’s our NFL Dream Flag Football Team for the 2028 Summer Games.
The dream answer in 2025 is probably Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson. He’s the quarterback you think of for elusiveness, but he’ll be 31 in 2028, so it might make more sense to go four years younger with Daniels. If you’re going for absolute star power, Patrick Mahomes can avoid sacks and extend plays like few others, and while he’ll be 32 in 2028, he’ll still likely be the league’s most global property. But we’ll go with Daniels, who should have his share of international clout after four years in the NFL.
Many will go with Philadelphia’s Saquon Barkley — if you can hurdle a defender backward, you can probably make a few guys miss a flag — but Barkley will be 31 when the 2028 Olympics roll around. Gibbs is five years younger, and most importantly, he’s an elite pass-catcher. Olympic flag football allows no running plays once a team reaches the 5-yard-line, so pass-catching is almost as crucial as being able to make people miss. If you’re looking for a wild card as a super-quick, smallish back, maybe Miami’s De’Von Achane.
In terms of making plays and making defenders miss in the open field, Chase might be the top of the list, and at 25, he’ll still be in his prime in 2028, fully entrenched as one of the game’s best receivers. Jefferson is also 25 and arguably the best in the game right now, so there’s star power and the ability to make ridiculous, contested midair catches as well. With only passes allowed at the goal line, is there a value for a big red-zone target like a 6-foot-5 Mike Evans or someone younger for corner lobs in the back of the end zone?
This is the X-factor on the field. Snapping is fairly easy, so do you just want a fourth open-field target? The center can’t engage/block the rusher, but you can make a case that size is best translated here, considering that the rusher has to go around the center before he releases upfield. The 6-foot-4, 230-pound Bowers has much more athleticism than most tight ends, so he’d bring the big-catch-radius-in-the-end-zone aspect to complement smaller, quicker receivers.
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