The Pro Bowl used to mean something. One week before the Super Bowl, the best players in the league would gather in Hawaii, have some fun and play one last game. It was a celebration of the entire season, but now, nobody even wants to be a part of it.

I used to look forward to watching the Pro Bowl every year. It was never the best football, but you got to see your favorite players play one more game, and it was usually pretty entertaining. Now, I hardly even bother turning my TV on to watch it.

If the NFL cared enough, it could bring the Pro Bowl back to its former glory. Unfortunately, the NFL is a business, and they’ll never invest the money to do it. But if they were, here are the changes I would make to bring the Pro Bowl back.

Make it a destination again

One of the best things about the Pro Bowl in the early 2000s was that it was always at a destination. From 1979 to 2015, it was played at Aloha Stadium in Hawaii in all but two seasons. Sure, the fans, players and coaches were there for a football game, but it also allowed them to step away from the game of football and enjoy some time in a tropical paradise when they weren’t at the stadium.

Since 2015, the Pro Bowl has traveled to Orlando and Las Vegas, two cities I don’t think many NFL players are dying to go to unless they have a gambling problem or little kids who could enjoy Disney Land. Starting in 2025, though, the Pro Bowl will be played at the Super Bowl host city during the week (which is another issue we’ll get to shortly).

Who asked for this? I highly doubt players said, “Man, I wish we played the Pro Bowl in Orlando, Las Vegas or Santa Clara instead of Hawaii.” Plus, as a fan, I’d rather spend a ton of money going to Hawaii than spend pretty much the same amount to go to Orlando or Vegas. Maybe I’m just not as fun as some people, but I just don’t see why anyone would rather play the Pro Bowl in a desert or huge city when it could be played in Hawaii.

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Increase the prize pool to incentivize participation

Another problem the Pro Bowl has faced recently is player participation. Players opt out all the time, and while some are due to injury, others just don’t want to do it. So how do you combat that? Increase the prize pool.

In 2025, the players on the winning team received $92,000, while the losers received $46,000. With a total of 88 players participating, that’s a little over $6 million. Obviously, that’s a ton of money, but to the NFL, which brought in roughly $23 billion in revenue last year, that’s pocket change. For reference, $6 million is .0003 percent of the NFL’s total revenue last year. The average American makes $63,000. $6 million to the NFL is the equivalent of $18 to the average person.

So, since the NFL is so rich, why not pay the players a little bit more to incentivize them to play in the Pro Bowl (which would drive more viewership and attendance, therefore making the NFL more money)? Just give everyone a flat rate of $250,000 to play, and if they’re so worried about cost, trim the rosters down. I don’t think anyone needs to see 44 different players on each team in a flag football game.

Players nowadays are motivated by money. Most of the top guys, who are bringing in tens of millions of dollars per year, wouldn’t even blink at $92,000, so you have to make it worth their while.

Stop letting bums play

Being a Pro Bowler is becoming a bit of a joke nowadays. Earning a Pro Bowl nod used to be a big deal, and it was something players strived for. Now, though, nobody really cares. When Shedeur Sanders is a Pro Bowler, and MVP finalist Trevor Lawrence is not, you know you have a problem.

I understand the fan voting is a huge part of the Pro Bowl, and it shouldn’t go away, but you should have to qualify to be voted for or something. I don’t know what the exact qualifications should be (maybe you have to start at least 10-12 games or reach a certain yardage threshold), but you can’t be letting the worst starting quarterback in the NFL into the Pro Bowl, even if it’s as an alternate.

The reason this has become such an issue lately is because of all the opt-outs. Which circles us right back to paying the players more. If you pay them more, you discourage opting out, and then you won’t have guys like Shedeur Sanders and Joe Flacco playing in the Pro Bowl.

Make the skills challenges more entertaining

I would love to see the Pro Bowl become a tackle game again, but I understand why it’s not. There’s no reason to risk player safety, so I’m fine with it being a flag football game, but I’d love to see the skills challenges take on a different form.

With the new Pro Bowl format, it’s unclear what this year’s skills challenges will entail, but in the past, the games have just been lackluster. There have been some good ones. I’ve enjoyed the QB accuracy one with the moving targets, kick-tack-toe and some of the others that were sprinkled in throughout the years, but I don’t care about watching these guys play dodgeball or run a relay race through an obstacle course.

Bring back the days of the furthest and hardest throw, strongest man, longest punt, etc. I want to see some of the best at their position compete in challenges that directly correlate to their position. Who has the biggest arm in the league, and who’s the most accurate? Which kicker has the biggest leg? Who can punt it the furthest? Which linemen are the strongest? And if the NFL really wants, they can still play dodgeball at the end. I just want to see more football-centric skills challenges.

Play the game on Sunday

The biggest mistake the NFL has made is moving the game from Sunday to Tuesday. When I say nobody asked for that, I mean absolutely nobody asked for it. As someone who isn’t a big fan of how the Pro Bowl is run these days, I’m still sitting at my desk on Sunday writing this article, wishing there was football on today.

I think the main reason for having it on the Tuesday of Super Bowl week at the host city is to get people to come. Nobody was going to Vegas or Orlando to watch the Pro Bowl anymore, so they had to put it in a place where tons of fans would already be for the Super Bowl. And the craziest thing is, they wouldn’t have to do that if they’d just fix the dang Pro Bowl and make it entertaining again!

There are simple fixes, but the NFL needs to be willing to invest a little bit more money into it. I just don’t think they’re willing to do that anymore, which sucks for us fans.