Jonathan Jones of The Athletic reports that the NFL is officially eliminating the Pro Bowl.
NFL executives reportedly presented Pro Bowl, which will no longer have a standalone game — tackle or flag football — or Pro Bowl games.
The NFL instead plans to make Pro Bowl effectively an individual performance award with eighty-eight players receiving the honor and no alternates.
“All-star games, I think, for all leagues have been fraught for a long time, and they haven’t necessarily represented the very best premium of that sport for those players,” NFL executive vice president of club business Peter O’Reilly tells Jones. “I think all leagues have struggled with that. We made the switch four years ago from the ‘tackle’ Pro Bowl to the flag game, and that was more strategic for us. In many ways, we saw a decrease in the replacement players.
“But ultimately, the Pro Bowl, at its core, is about honoring the best of the best in that season, on the field, in real games. And the shift here is about shifting the focus from the game — which is ultimately where people’s attention goes, especially the replacement players tied to it — to the honor.”
The NFL will instead invite Pro Bowlers to Los Angeles for an in-person celebration in February.
Pro Bowl selections will remain the same and consist of fans, players and coach voting to determine the 88 players on each team.
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