The Pro Bowl was once based on excellence, but now it’s all about popularity. Since 1995, even fans have a say in who makes the roster for the game, along with NFL players and coaches. To Baltimore Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton, this is a problem.

“It’s obviously an honor to be a part of that, that I guess fraternity of playing in the Pro Bowl,” he said on the Dan Patrick Show. “People have certain things to say, and it’s kind of lost its way over the years, but it’s still an honor at the end of the day. But I mean, it’s fan-coaches-player vote. It’s a way to get fans involved.

“What I think needs to change is the fifth-year options for players, and incentives are attached to Pro Bowls and not All-Pros. I feel like All-Pros definitely carry more weight. I mean, if you think about it, fans are having a direct impact on how much money you’re making … Like, fans shouldn’t be able to vote on your play, depending on whether or not you get a bigger contract.”

The way Pro Bowl rosters are decided upon has long been a subject of debate. Almost every year, there is a player who misses out on the honor, and there is someone who shouldn’t be on this roster. A very easy example of a controversial Pro Bowler is Shedeur Sanders, who we know has not put up a performance worthy of the title. Sure, he stabilized the quarterback crisis in Cleveland, but was that all to send him to the Pro Bowl?

In 2017, Former Pittsburgh Steelers star Cam Heyward could not make the Pro Bowl either, despite having recorded a career-best 12 sacks.

“The NFL screwed up when they gave the fans a vote,” an NFC coach told Sports Illustrated’s Giberto Manzano. “The most popular guy on TikTok goes to the Pro Bowl now. When it was coaching and players voting, it meant a lot more.”

Players do get incentives if they make the Pro Bowl, too. Front Office Sports named 10 such players from last year who received bonuses for being voted to the Pro Bowl. New England Patriots’ Brendan Schooler earned a $500,000 incentive and is now in the final year of his three-year contract.

This is where the numbers get skewed. There are probably others in a similar position who could have been in the Pro Bowl. But the complexity of the vote will keep them from making the much-needed money.

Fan opinions matter. But it is also known that no one sees the complete picture apart from the team and its players. That is the gap Hamilton alluded to, because it impacts these players’ careers.