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Vikings' Jefferson on playing flag football at 2028 Olympics: 'It's a dream'

NFL owners unanimously passed a resolution that will allow players to compete in flag football at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

Will Ragatz

Feb 5, 2023; Paradise, Nevada, USA; NFC wide receiver Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings (18) runs the ball against AFC cornerback Pat Surtain II of the Denver Broncos (2) and right safety Jamal Agnew of the Jacksonville Jaguars (39) during game three of the 2023 Pro Bowl at Allegiant Stadium.
Feb 5, 2023; Paradise, Nevada, USA; NFC wide receiver Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings (18) runs the ball against AFC cornerback Pat Surtain II of the Denver Broncos (2) and right safety Jamal Agnew of the Jacksonville Jaguars (39) during game three of the 2023 Pro Bowl at Allegiant Stadium. / Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images
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NFL owners have unanimously approved a resolution allowing the league's players to participate in flag football when the sport makes its debut at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

The vote took place at the Spring League Meeting in Eagan, Minn., and passed 32-0. This sets into motion a process that will involve the NFL, the NFL Players' Association, the International Federation of American Football and the International Olympic Committee.

Vikings superstar wide receiver Justin Jefferson, who has been a global flag football ambassador for the NFL and IFAF for the past couple years, made an appearance at the league meeting to talk about this big moment.

"To be honest, I’m at a loss for words," Jefferson said (via ESPN's Brooke Pryor). "To think about the chance of playing in the Olympics and getting a gold medal, it’s a dream."

"It’s an incredible honor for any athlete to represent their country in the Olympics, which is the pinnacle of global sport," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a press release. "I know first-hand that the inclusion of 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."

The Olympic competition will consist of six men's teams and six women's teams, with 10 players on each roster. Games are played in a five-on-five format.

Given the nature of flag football, the NFL players seemingly most likely to participate include quarterbacks, wide receivers and cornerbacks. Jefferson will turn 29 shortly before the LA Olympics, so he could very much be in the mix to be on the team.

"It's three years from now, so it's a lot of things that go on," Jefferson said in an interview with NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. "We don't play flag football, we play full-on football, so just the contact and the physicality that we're gonna go through in these next three years, hopefully, hope to God it doesn't have a toll on my body and I'm able to be out there and compete for my country, but it's tough to say at this very moment. But would it be a dream, would it be something that I would be looking forward to? Yeah."

It feels safe to assume that no matter who is playing for the United States, they'll enter the competition as monumental favorites to take home the gold medal.

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.

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