There’s a quiet little revolution in football—swapping heavy pads for flags, and hard hits for quick moves and pure skill. Now that flag football is heading to the 2028 Olympics in LA, it’s not just a sidelines game anymore. NFL stars are tuning in, and none more enthusiastically than Rob Gronkowski—yes, the ex-Patriots and Bucs tight end who’s never been shy about making bold statements. Just like in 2023, the Super Bowl champ said, “Count me in already. Hopefully, there’s no tryouts and they just accept me. But I’m in. I’m going for that if there is flag football in the Olympics in 2028. USA going all the way.”

Rob Gronkowski made it clear that he, too, wants to represent Team USA in the Olympics. Fast forward to the present, once again, the 36-year-old has some interesting things to say about the 2028 event. On Dudes on Dudes, Gronk had a long chat with his old buddy, Julian Edelman. He lit up when talking about what this new chapter could mean. “I love flag football,” Gronk said. “Being able to grab the flag. Absolute dominates two-hand touch because it’s a skill to grab the flag as well. And you can juke, you can show your quickness as well.”

“2025 Olympics,” Edelman said, locking eyes with Gronk. “This is what’s gonna happen to the National Football League. When our top 10 flag football players from the NFL go out and dominate the world, we’re gonna start getting Chinese people, Japanese people, more German people…” He was painting a future where flag football becomes the launchpad for a global takeover. The implication? The rest of the world will soon want in on a sport they’ve long watched from the sidelines. But Gronk, as always, didn’t hold back.

“It’s gonna take at least a decade because it’s going to put them on high alert like all these Americans, they’re whooping our a-s,” the four-time SB winner admitted. He believes that while the Olympics will give flag football a global platform, it’ll take years of grassroots development, coaching, and investment before international teams can truly compete with American talent.

He also joked about how some countries might pivot hard—“Instead of sending their guys to the military,” he joked, “they’re going to be sending them to flag football camps.” Funny? Yes! But the idea actually fits. He wrapped the thought with, “2028 We’re gonna dominate the Olympics at flag football 100 million percent.”

Then, he dropped a bomb of confidence: “Name another person out there in the world that can guard Tyreek Hill or Justin Jefferson.”  He wasn’t flexing ego—he was making a point. Fierce American athletes could spark a global spark that sets off new rivalries and new hope worldwide. Well, Gronk’s not messing around. In 2023, he told the world he wants in. That mix of swagger and sincerity? It shows how pumped he is about this sport going global.

Besides, Rob Gronkowski, which NFL players are excited?

With flag football headed to the LA Games, the NFL isn’t just cheering—it’s backing it. Owners gave the green light for players to don the red, white, and blue. And boy, they’re lining up. The Olympic flag football tournament is set to feature six teams for men and six for women. Each team will have 10 players on the roster. That’s the full setup, simple, structured, and ready to bring the game to a global stage. Tyreek Hill has been the loudest voice, calling out teammates to “NFL guys lets bring one home.” Besides him, his former QB, Patrick Mahomes, too, dipped his toe in. However, he stepped back to let younger guys get a shot.

Other than them, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow also expressed his wish to represent his country at the Los Angeles Olympics in flag football. “I really want to play for the Olympic flag football team,” he told CBS. “Like me, Ja’Marr (Chase), Justin (Jefferson), and some of my friends out there playing football… I think it’d be really cool.” 

However, not everyone is fully on board. For instance, Darrell Doucette, Team USA’s flag QB, worries the vets might edge out those who’ve been grinding for years. Many are also against it because the players participating in flag football could miss the start of training camp, as the games will be held from July 14 to 30.

But, Travis Kelce answered back with a firm reminder: let the best player win—open up tryouts. This clearly shows the interested NFL players are loving this opportunity, as they want to win a ‘Gold’ medal! Because at the end of the day, this could blow the door off the sport’s international growth. Big names will bring eyes, and soon, new countries could be building football programs of their own. If that happens, 2028 might just mark more than a debut—it’ll spark a whole global movement, and we are looking forward to this!