Flag Football Doesn’t Need the NFL’s Help—At Least Not on the Field

Flag football and American football are completely different sports. Let’s keep them that way.

Team USA took care of business at the Fanatics Football Classic on Saturday. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Team USA quarterback Darrell Doucette III made headlines last year when he claimed that he’s better than Patrick Mahomes at flag football. He then doubled down, saying that his team doesn’t need the help of NFL players to win the gold at the 2028 Summer Olympics—flag football’s inaugural Games.

Based on recent evidence, Doucette III might be right. In fact, he may have even undersold himself. 

Buried in the Madness of March this past Saturday afternoon was the Fanatics Football Classic: a round-robin flag football tournament featuring Team USA alongside two other squads—Founders FFC and Wildcats FFC—made up of both current and past NFL players, as well as a handful of celebrities. The games were put together to promote flag football ahead of LA28. 

.@TomBrady reveals who he’s excited to play with and play against in today’s flag football game 👀🏈 pic.twitter.com/YXwtm4HZE2

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) March 21, 2026

What it also highlighted, however, was just how different the sport is compared to American football.

When speaking on Mahomes last year, Doucette III said he believes he’s better than the three-time Super Bowl champion, in part, because of his IQ of the game.

“I know he has all these intangibles,” said the 36-year-old. “But when it comes to flag football, I feel like I know more than him.”

MORE: How Much Did USA Flag Football Players Earn After Routing NFL at Fanatics Classic?

While that may sound silly on the surface—given Mahomes’s success at the professional level—the contrast between the two games, specifically at quarterback, was on full display on Saturday afternoon. Over the four-game showcase, Team USA went 3–0 versus Founders and Wildcats, winning by a combined total of 106–44 while two of the NFL’s top quarterbacks in Jalen Hurts and Joe Burrow each threw pick-sixes in losing efforts.

Doucette III, meanwhile, helped the U.S. to victory, and was named the MVP of the tournament for his efforts.

“I made some remarks that [were] totally misconstrued and misunderstood,” Doucette said on Saturday, referring to his quote about Mahomes. “All I was speaking of was about giving my brothers a fair chance to make (the Olympics in) 2028. We came out this weekend with that on our mind, to say, ‘Let’s show these guys that we are talented, that we are flag football and not to be overlooked by anyone in the world.'”

Flag football and American football are two completely different sports

Darrell Doucette III is a quarterback for Team USA. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Aside from the obvious fact that players are ruled down by having their flags pulled rather than being tackled, the differences between the two games are palpable.

For starters, the game is played 5-on-5, on just a 50-yard field, with two 20-minute halves and a two-minute halftime in between. Offenses start on their own 5-yard line and have four plays to cross midfield—serving as an initial set of downs—and four more to score. Quarterbacks have only seven seconds to throw—often less, thanks to a maximum of two free rushers allowed by the defense—and cannot run the ball. That said, direct handoffs, unlimited laterals, and passes are allowed behind the line of scrimmage, and once any occur, the seven-second rule is lifted.  

It’s far different from the football we’re used to watching on Sundays—but Team USA is built for it. They thrived under these esoteric rules on Saturday, utilizing multiple quarterbacks, backwards pitches, and unique formations to throw the NFLers for a loop.

As for the Founders and Wildcats? It was a much different story.

“We were trying to play more NFL football and pass concepts,” said Tom Brady, who served as a co-promoter for the event and also helped quarterback the Founders. “Things happen pretty quick out there, and those guys are super shifty. They did a good job running the ball … Just in terms of strategy, we’re probably way behind.”

“Their skill set was very different than anything we’ve ever seen in the NFL,” added Luke Kuechly, a Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee who played linebacker for the Wildcats on Saturday. “The speed, the quickness, the ability to create space—our inability to put our hands on those guys—made the game very difficult.”

Beyond strategy, Team USA also showed off a keen ability to avoid having its flags pulled on multiple occasions. Check out the play below from wide receiver Velton Brown Jr., who was able to split two Wildcats defenders for a touchdown.

Velton Brown Jr. is different 🔥

Tune in to the @fanatics Flag Football Classic NOW on Fox Sports, Fox One, and Tubi. pic.twitter.com/Gq6c8LtaJs

— NFL (@NFL) March 22, 2026

Again … It’s just a different sport.

While reposting a video of him throwing a touchdown to Stefon Diggs on Saturday, Brady joked that he may look to continue his flag career, writing, “Gets you thinking…” on X (formerly Twitter). Burrow also added that he’d “love” to play in the Olympics. 

“I've never necessarily played an Olympic sport before,” the Bengals’ signal-caller continued. “So when this got announced, I was pretty excited about it .. The opportunity to win a gold medal [is] something that I've thought about … I think it would be something very special.”

The NFL has done a commendable job of promoting flag football over the course of the past quarter-century. Between the growth of NFL FLAG, showcasing the sport at the Pro Bowl, and allowing its players the opportunity to compete in the Olympics, it’s clear that their intentions to get more eyes on the sport are being done in good faith. Fanatics, too, deserves credit for coordinating this past weekend’s tournament.

All this said, maybe we let Team USA handle this one.

Flag football isn’t an extension of the NFL. It’s its own entity with its own legs to stand on.

This is their sport. Let them have it.

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