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NFL Pro Bowl As We Know It Is Officially Coming To An End

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This article was originally published on Total Pro Sports.

Pro Bowl Games presentation.
Pro Bowl Games presentation. Credit: USA TODAY Sports

The NFL is ending the Pro Bowl game. League executives told owners on Wednesday. There will be no tackle game and no flag game.

Jonathan Jones of The Athletic first reported the change. Eighty-eight players will still receive the Pro Bowl honor. There will be no alternates.

Peter O’Reilly, the NFL’s executive vice president of club business and events, explained why.

“All-star games, I think, for all leagues have been fraught for a long time, and they haven’t necessarily represented the very best premium of that sport for those players,” O’Reilly said. “I think all leagues have struggled with that. We made the switch four years ago from the ‘tackle’ Pro Bowl to the flag game, and that was more strategic for us. In many ways, we saw a decrease in the replacement players.

Pro Bowl Honor Stays, The Game Does Not

The NFL shield and Pro Bowl Games logos.
The NFL shield and Pro Bowl Games logos. Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The league switched from tackle to flag four years ago. Replacements still filled the rosters. Last year, Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders made the AFC team as the sixth alternate, which sparked plenty of reactions.

“But ultimately, the Pro Bowl, at its core, is about honoring the best of the best in that season, on the field, in real games,” O’Reilly added. “And the shift here is about shifting the focus from the game — which is ultimately where people’s attention goes, especially the replacement players tied to it — to the honor.”

Voting stays the same. Fans, players, and coaches each get equal weight. The 88 names will cover offense, defense, and special teams in both conferences.

Selected players will be invited to Los Angeles in February. The celebration will take place during Super Bowl week. No skills contests. No 7-on-7 flag.

Pro Bowl History Ends After 75 Years

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NFL Pro Bowl Players (Image Credits: Imagn)

The NFL has staged a Pro Bowl in some form every year since 1951. Stars skipped it. Alternates took their spots. The product never looked like the best of the best.

The plan is now clearer than ever: Name the team. Hold a dinner. Move on.

The league becomes the first major U.S. sport to drop its all-star game. Players no longer risk a February injury for an exhibition that few wanted to play. The Pro Bowl name survives. The game does not.

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