Justin Jefferson Has a New Adventure in Mind
The NFL has allowed players to partake in Olympic Flag Football beginning in 2028, and Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson is a global ambassador for the sport.
Justin Jefferson will evidently lead the charge with a new endeavor, one he’s quite excited about.
This week, the league unanimously voted to approve NFL players’ inclusion in the event three years from now.
And Jefferson was evidently instrumental in the process and might even play in the 2028 Olympics.
Jefferson on Olympic Flag Football
The vote to green-light player participation in Olympic Flag Football occurred in Minneapolis on Tuesday, and Jefferson was front and center in the aftermath.
Jefferson told reporters, “I’m just at a loss of words. 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.”
“For them to change the rules up and for us to go from a regular game to now a flag football game, honestly, it was way more fun. We felt like kids out there just kind of having fun, just being around each other, the best athletes in the league.”
Until this week, few Vikings fans knew that Jefferson was the keynote spokesman for Olympic Flag Football.
Jefferson also mentioned his personal stakes in the 2028 Olympics: “That’s the decision I’ll definitely have to weigh in a little bit. 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 to ask myself and see what’s right.”
The Scene? Los Angeles, CA
It helps NFL players’ mission to partake in Flag Football infancy that the Olympics will be held in Los Angeles next time.
The games took place in Paris, France, last year, but will undergo an American spin in 2028. After that, the Summer Olympics will go down in Brisbane, Australia, in 2032. For curious minds, although nothing to do with Flag Football, the 2026 Winter Olympics will be in Italy, 2030 in the French Alps, and 2034 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
But Flag Football will begin as a Hollywood affair.
Conflicts with Training Camp
Some players expressed initial hesitation this week about Olympic Flag Football because of timing.
For example, the Summer Olympics are scheduled right on top of NFL training camps and the first preseason game or two. Some, like Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown, hinted that he would not partake because training camp is too vital.
So, NFL flag footballers will merely have to find a balance.
Injury Concerns?
Meanwhile, some cynical fans wondered about the injury risk of extraneous football.
For instance, if Jefferson, at age 29 by the 2028 Olympics, played Flag Football in Los Angeles and tore an ACL — then what?
The league must not share that anxiety, as 32 owners signed off on the initiative.
ESPN on Flag Football
ESPN’s Stephen Holder and Kevin Seifert noted on Olympic Flag Football: “Many of the final details remain a long way off and are yet to be negotiated between the NFL, the players’ union and Olympic governing bodies. For now, the proposal calls for the six participating nations (which have not yet been identified) to select a maximum of one NFL player each, with Team USA expected to be capped at 10 players.”
“But the NFL is all-in on flag football, with the league having long ago determined it is a key to solidifying the next generation’s interest in football. The NFL is partnering with flag programs across the country to support growth of the game, including the rapid growth of girls flag football at the youth and high school level. The league is also in the early stages of developing separate professional flag leagues for men and women, with initial investor bids already submitted.”
Vikings running back Aaron Jones also showed support for the new endeavor.
Holder and Seifert added, “Flag competition in the Olympics is also key to the NFL’s efforts to expand interest in the game globally, with the league’s international efforts becoming more of a central focus. The NFL is scheduled to play seven international games this year, including its first regular-season games in Dublin, Berlin and Madrid.”
“Having flag football as part of the world’s grandest international sporting event is seen as a major win by the NFL, which strongly supported the effort to add flag football to the Olympics.”
The United States led the world in medals at the 2024 Olympic Games with 126. China placed as a distant second with 91.
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