Team USA flag football sends clear message to NFL players about Olympics | Opinion

Some NFL players have expressed their excitement about the possibility of playing flag football at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. They might want to temper their expectations. Based on what transpired at the Fanatics Flag Football Classic, most won’t earn a spot on Team USA’s flag football squad.

The current members of Team USA’s flag football team ran circles around the Wildcats and Founders , two teams filled with NFL stars and a few celebrities. Team USA routed the Wildcats, led by NFL quarterbacks Joe Burrow and Jayden Daniels, 39-14 in the first game. Then Tom Brady and the Founders tested their skills against Team USA in the second contest.

Brady found Stefon Diggs for a touchdown to get the Founders out to an 8-0 advantage, but that was their lone highlight of the first half. Team USA rattled off 24 unanswered points in the first half to take a commanding 24-8 lead at halftime and its way to a 43-16 win. It got so bad that Greg Olsen and Kevin Burkhardt wondered on the FOX broadcast if a mercy rule was applied in flag football.

More: Winners (Team USA) and losers (NFL players) from Fanatics Flag Football Classic The NFL players had a difficult time adjusting to flag football and its different rules. Luke Kuechly, who was recently elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame but came out of retirement to play in the event, was called for two defensive fouls in the first half of the initial game. NFL players, past and present, had trouble grabbing flags from Team USA ball carriers.