For years, the Pro Bowl has been completely uninteresting to NFL fans. Players eventually stopped giving any sort of effort in the game, which is understandable given that it means nothing, and even a normal football play can result in a serious injury, so the NFL scrambled to figure something out.
They’ve changed it to the Pro Bowl Games, which is essentially a field day for NFL players. Flag football and other skill competitions reign supreme. That still didn’t work, though, as fans were still relatively unimpressed. So with another Pro Bowl coming up this year, the NFL is trying yet another change to spark interest.
NFL moves Pro Bowl Games into desirable timeslot
If the NFL can’t get fans to go to the Pro Bowl Games, they’ve decided that they’ll take the games to fans. Moving forward, the event will be held at the beginning of Super Bowl Week in the host city.
This is a smart strategy for the NFL. Where will NFL fans be the week of the big game? Many will be in the city where it’s being held, so while they’re there, why not go see some other NFL stars and experience an event that should be pretty fun to watch? This probably will not help TV ratings, but ticket sales and in-person attendance should get a major boost. Slowly but surely, the NFL has extended Super Bowl Week into something of an event itself, with things happening all the time. This is only an extension of that, but with how successful that week is and has been, the Pro Bowl will likely benefit.
“Building on our strong partnerships with the Bay Area host committee and ESPN, we’re thrilled to make the 2026 Pro Bowl Games presented by Verizon part of Super Bowl week, our biggest platform of the year, elevating flag football and our best players in a way that’s never been done before,” Peter O’Reilly, NFL executive vice president of events, international and club business, said via CBS Sports. “The Pro Bowl Games will not only be an exciting showcase of our best talent, but also a taste of the elite athleticism and dynamic action we can expect to see on the Olympic stage.”
That last note is an important one. Flag football, now the main attraction for the Pro Bowl, is going to be an Olympic event that allows NFL players to compete. Whether or not they’ll beat out established flag players remains to be seen, but this is an excellent way to link the Pro Bowl Games to something bigger and much more exciting.
What’s more, this might prevent as many opt-outs from Pro Bowl players. The ones playing in the Super Bowl aren’t going to compete and distract themselves from the task at hand, but with other responsibilities tied to Super Bowl Week, the connection between that and the Pro Bowl might leave more players on hand to participate. Rather than having to skip the Games to go do some media obligation before the Super Bowl, they can do both since they’re in the same city.
This season, the Super Bowl and thus the Pro Bowl are in the Bay Area. Previously, the Pro Bowl had been tied to Hawaii. Recently, it was held in Las Vegas and Orlando, two big cities in America, but it will now travel. This is a big change for cities, too, as the host city for the Super Bowl will undoubtedly see much more tourism and economic growth due to the Pro Bowl being added to the docket. All in all, this is a significant change that will help the NFL, the Pro Bowl, and various cities around the country year in and year out.
