Among the many crucial initiatives that the National Football League and the 32 team owners voted on at the league meetings this week was the participation of NFL players in the sport of flag football in the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. The league, as a whole, approved the rule allowing players to take part and represent their respective countries countries.
It makes sense. The NFL has really gotten behind the sport of flag football, as it has emerged over the last decade or so as a safer alternative for youngsters to develop a love of football at some level, before they make the decision to take part in the full contract version in high school. Also, flag football has become an excellent conduit for young female athletes to take part in football.
In short, flag football is a great vessel for the NFL to continue to grow the game in a safe way, so approving this rule was a no brainer. The main rule to be aware of, when it comes to Olympic participation, is this — there can be no more than one player from each NFL team on a particular national team. In other words, C.J. Stroud AND Derek Stingley, Jr. cannot both be on Team USA. Only one can.
Now, if I had to pick one to be on Team USA, it’d probably be Stingley, who could easily play on both offense and defense at an elite level. Stroud would be an interesting QB prospect, as the arm talent is obviously elite and his mobility is underrated. Stroud is most certainly more the face of the Texans than Stingley, so Stroud being on that team would be a noteworthy thing for the city of Houston.
For what it’s worth, here are the odds on which quarterback will start for Team USA three summers from now:
Lamar Jackson 2/1
Jayden Daniels 3/1
Josh Allen 5/1
Kyler Murray 6/1
Patrick Mahomes 8/1
Jalen Hurts 10/1
Bo Nix 12/1
CJ Stroud 12/1
Joe Burrow 12/1
Justin Herbert 16/1
Caleb Williams 20/1
Bryce Young 25/1
Justin Fields 25/1
Drake Maye 33/
Anthony Richardson 40/1
Jordan Love 40/1
Baker Mayfield 50/1
Cam Ward 50/1
Jalen Milroe 50/1
Michael Penix Jr. 50/1
Dak Prescott 66/1
Shedeur Sanders 66/1
Trevor Lawrence 66/1
Tua Tagovailoa 66/1
J.J. McCarthy 75/1
Jared Goff 75/1
Tyler Shough 75/1
Brock Purdy 100/1
Matthew Stafford 100/1
Geno Smith 125/1
Russell Wilson 125/1
Tom Brady 250/1
Aaron Rodgers 500/1
So Stroud is tied for seventh on this odds board, with all six quarterbacks ahead of him having some degree of mobility as a crucial part of their games. If we’re being objective, Lamar Jackson is an obvious choice, given how crucial elusiveness is in flag football.
The one thing I am certain of — Aaron Rodgers at 500/1 is not making the USA flag football team, and if he did, I might have to root for another country.
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