EAGAN, Minn. — Flashing a wide smile, Justin Jefferson did a celebratory “Olympic Griddy” as he exited the podium at a news conference during the NFL’s spring meeting Tuesday.
As a Global Flag Ambassador, the Minnesota Vikings’ star wide receiver was instrumental in the league’s Tuesday passage of a proposal that permits NFL players to participate in flag football at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The NFL’s 32 owners voted to unanimously approve the proposal, league sources told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
“I’m just at a loss of words,” Jefferson said before he danced away. “… Just to think about the chances of playing in the Olympics and getting a gold medal is a dream, just reverting back to being a kid and watching the track and field meets, watching basketball win the gold medal.
“That’s something that as a kid I always wanted to be a part of, but football wasn’t global. So now that we’re expanding the game and we’re going more global, it’s pretty cool.”
That expansion to a global platform is something that excited NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent.
“I think it’s going to be phenomenal,” Vincent said. “I think the world finally has an opportunity to see the greatest athletes in the world participate, both men and women. … I think the membership vote today, allowing the young fellas to put their hand up and be that Dream Team that we all saw that I grew up watching in ’92.
“Hey, I’m looking forward to seeing Justin play. He going to get his, we can’t wait to smash.”
A four-time Pro Bowler, Jefferson has recent experience playing flag football at the reimagined Pro Bowl Games. He said it gave NFL players a taste of what playing on an Olympic team together could be like.
“For them to change the rules up and for us to go from a regular game to now [flag football] game, honestly it was way more fun,” Jefferson said. “We felt like kids out there just kind of having fun, just being around each other, the best athletes in the league.”
Jefferson, though, didn’t commit to trying out for the 2028 squad.
“That’s the decision I’ll definitely have to weigh in a little bit,” Jefferson said. “It’s three years from now, it’s three whole seasons that I’m going to have to go through. Of course, getting older, body is going to be different, but that’s definitely always been a dream. It’s always been something I always wanted to do, compete for your country versus all of the other countries in the rest of the world. … I definitely would look forward to it if it came down to it, but that’s definitely something ask myself and see what’s right.”
Though the resolution passed, the league still needs to negotiate with the NFL Players Association, Olympic officials and national governing bodies on the specifics of letting NFL players participate. There could also be opportunities for players with international heritage to represent other countries in the Olympics.
“We want to make sure we have the insurances that the players are protected, the clubs are protected, and man let the players put their hands up and compete for their country, represent their countries and compete for that gold,” Vincent said. “So, I think the toughest part was today. Resolution was passed, leadership with NFLPA executive Lloyd [Howell Jr.] and commissioner [Roger] Goodell. They’ll iron all those things out, allow the athletes to showcase their talents.”
Among obstacles for players to navigate as they balance flag football hopes with NFL demands is training for two different sports and the timing of the Olympic Games.
“Ensuring that the timing works within our calendar was really important,” NFL executive Peter O’Reilly said. “Conversation or anything going on in ’27 would be more of an acclimation period only during dead periods in our calendar. And then ’28 would be really working … within the dead periods and really creating windows that don’t conflict with an NFL calendar.”
If the flag football portion of the Olympics takes place during the first week of the 2028 games, O’Reilly added, players would still be able to make it back for veteran report dates for training camp with a few days cushion.
And while NFL players possess skills that would help them excel in flag football, Vikings linebacker Brian Asamoah II, another Global Flag Ambassador, acknowledged there’s already a pool of talented athletes who specialize in flag football.
“It requires a lot of different abilities that football in general doesn’t require, but you definitely have to have speed, elusiveness and being able to get away from people,” Asamoah said. “It’s a completely different game. You have to really give your respect to the players that have been training for this already and feel like they deserve the opportunity to play. But however this selection process goes, I think just everyone getting an opportunity to play flag football will definitely push this whole growth of the game forward. That’s what we’re all here for.”
