NFL Eliminates the Pro Bowl After 75 Years

The NFL will stop staging the Pro Bowl game, keeping only the 88-player selection honor with no.

The NFL announced on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, at the owners' meeting in Atlanta that it is ending the Pro Bowl game, an exhibition of the league's top players held in some form almost every year since 1951. Beginning with the 2026 season, 88 players will be named Pro Bowlers, but no AFC vs. NFC game, flag-football matchup, or accompanying competitions will be staged. The selected players will instead be invited to Los Angeles for an in-person celebration in February.

The Pro Bowl had been a postseason fixture for 75 years, with the only prior pause coming in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The league had repeatedly reworked the event — switching from tackle to flag football in 2023, moving it from Honolulu to various cities, and even moving it to the Tuesday before the Super Bowl last season — but ultimately decided to abandon the game format entirely. NFL executive vice president Peter O'Reilly said it is "OK to be the first league to walk away from a competitive all-star game."

Commissioner Roger Goodell said the decision came from years of conference calls with players asking what was and wasn't working. NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent said players told him they "don't want competitive play" after the playoffs, adding that trying to replicate the physicality of championship games "just doesn't sit well" and "isn't a good representation." According to The New York Times (The Athletic), Vincent held a call this summer with more than a dozen star players, including Jalen Hurts, Jalen Ramsey, George Kittle, and Dion Dawkins.

A key change is the elimination of alternate selections. Only the original 88 players will be recognized, ending a system that expanded the list when players withdrew. According to CBS Sports, notable replacement selections last season included Browns QB Shedeur Sanders, Jaguars LB Devin Lloyd, and Cowboys TE Jake Ferguson. The Athletic notes Pro Bowl selection carries contractual implications — rookie performance escalators, fifth-year option values, and veteran incentive bonuses — so the honor retains financial significance even without a game.

The Pro Bowl had waned in popularity in recent years. According to The New York Times (The Athletic), Pro Bowl ratings ranged between 4.7 and 6.7 million viewers post-pandemic, but last year's event — moved to a weekday before the Super Bowl in San Francisco — saw ratings crater to 2 million.

The 2027 Pro Bowl class will be revealed in late December through an enhanced announcement across NFL, club, social, and broadcast partner platforms. The NFL will bring the Pro Bowl class together during the traditional Pro Bowl weekend in Los Angeles for a celebration recognizing players and their families. The league will also continue expanding support for flag football ahead of its Olympic debut at the Los Angeles 2028 Games, with flag football events taking place across Pro Bowl weekend and Super Bowl week.