NFL owners vote to allow players to participate in 2028 Olympics

From Most Valuable Player awards to Super Bowl titles, Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes has won every major honor available to an NFL player.

From Most Valuable Player awards to Super Bowl titles, Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes has won every major honor available to an NFL player.

Is an Olympic gold medal next?

The possibility that Mahomes, or any other NFL player, could earn a medal at the 2028 Olympics moved closer to reality Tuesday when NFL owners voted to allow players to participate in flag football, which will make its Olympic debut in Los Angeles with six men's teams and six women's teams and 10 players per team.

Getting the approval of owners was a critical yet early step. Actually getting NFL players onto the field will still require more details to be ironed out among the league, the players' union, USA Football — the organization that acts as flag football's national governing body — and the International Olympic Committee. As voted on Tuesday when owners met in Minnesota, each national team would be permitted to select one player per NFL roster. In addition, each team's "designated international player" would also be allowed to participate for his or her country; the latter would help populate rosters from outside the United States.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement that including flag football in the Olympics "has sparked a tremendous amount of excitement among NFL players interested in the chance to compete for their country on the world stage. We are thrilled that they will now have that chance."