As one of the fastest-growing sports, Flag football has consistently received strong support from the NFL, and its top players, including the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback, Aaron Rodgers. The 42-year-old has become increasingly involved in youth football and charity football initiatives. However, the latest development surrounding Rodgers’ support for flag football carries much bigger significance.

According to ESPN reporter Adam Schefter, Rodgers is donating to USA Football to help the U.S. Women’s National Flag Football Team prepare for the sport’s Olympic debut at the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles.

Rodgers’ support for flag football has been visible for years. The quarterback helped raise around $3 million through a charity flag football event connected to the RX3 Foundation in 2024. This time, Rodgers has decided to champion the women’s flag football team via his donation.

And considering USA Football has aggressively promoted flag football as one of the sport’s biggest future growth opportunities both domestically and internationally, it is not difficult to understand why Rodgers decided to contribute financially.

Flag football was officially added to the 2028 Olympics alongside sports like cricket, squash, baseball-softball, and lacrosse. The inclusion followed years of effort from the International Federation of American Football and the NFL to help push the sport onto the Olympic stage.

The International Olympic Committee regularly evaluates provisional sports for Olympic inclusion through local organizing committees. And while Rodgers’ latest donation is specifically aimed toward helping the United States women’s team prepare for the Olympics, the 2028 Games in Los Angeles will also feature a men’s flag football tournament as part of the sport’s historic Olympic debut.

And because of the NFL’s strong support for flag football, NFL players are now eligible to participate in Olympic competition during the 2028 Summer Games.

“It’s an incredible honor for any athlete to represent their country in the Olympics, which is the pinnacle of global sport,” Roger Goodell said. “I know firsthand that the inclusion of flag football in the Olympics has sparked a tremendous amount of excitement among NFL players interested in the chance to compete for their country on the world stage. We are thrilled that they will now have that chance.”

That said, some of the biggest names in the sport, like Joe Burrow, Jalen Hurts, Patrick Mahomes, and even the retired Tom Brady, have expressed their desire to participate in the competition during the Olympics.

NFL players who have expressed their interest in playing in the Olympics

A year ago, NFL owners unanimously voted in favor of allowing players to participate in flag football at the 2028 Summer Olympics. Since then, multiple NFL stars have reportedly shown interest in representing Team USA once the Games arrive. Among the confirmed names, Aaron Jones has been one of the most vocal supporters of the opportunity.

“Flag football players may be upset at me for this, but yes, I would absolutely love it,” Jones said. “Every other sport gets an opportunity to win a gold medal, and if you’re not serving your country in the military, I feel like that’s the other highest honor that you can represent your country in.”

Beyond Jones, Justin Jefferson has also publicly supported the idea of NFL players participating in flag football during the 2028 Summer Games. And while they have not officially committed, stars like Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, and Tyreek Hill have all expressed interest as well. Which naturally raises one major question: by the time the Olympics arrive, will NFL players realistically be prepared to compete in the tournament?

That is where things start becoming complicated. For starters, flag football is fundamentally different from traditional NFL football. On top of that, NFL players may not have much time to properly prepare for Olympic competition, considering the NFL season itself stretches across nearly five months every year. Whether everything eventually aligns remains uncertain. What is clear, though, is that both the men’s and women’s flag football teams will be chasing gold medals during the sport’s Olympic debut in Los Angeles.