March 22, 2026, 8:43 p.m. ET
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow worried some fans with his physical showing in the Fanatics Flag Football Classic.
But it wasn’t just Burrow being Burrow: It was almost by design, too.
During the media circus around the event, Burrow didn’t pull any punches when talking about his desire to hit the Olympics someday.
“I’ve always wanted to play in the Olympics,” Burrow said, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. “I’ve never necessarily played an Olympic sport before, so when this got announced, I was pretty excited about it.”
Burrow continued: “The opportunity to win a gold medal [is] something that I’ve thought about – a moment like that – for a long time, since I was a kid. I think it would be something very special,” Burrow said.
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In 2028, flag football will be an Olympic sport for the first time during the games in Los Angeles.
Despite Burrow’s quotes here, it remains unclear whether NFL players will actually compete for and make the U.S. Olympic team.
The fact NFL players got whipped by actual flag football players in a big way doesn’t help that outlook very much. In the pursuit of gold, the team will want the best flag football players, so NFL players with different skill sets might be left behind in the race to make the roster while they focus on their own particular sport.
Roger Goodell has said in the past that USA Football will handle the selection process of the 10-man roster and years sit between now and that happening.