NFL announces major changes to Pro Bowls

Apr 29, 2021; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announces the final pick of the 2021 NFL Draft for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at First Energy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The NFL has explored numerous ways to make the Pro Bowl more interesting in recent years, and the league is hoping the major changes it announced on Monday will help accomplish that goal.

The Pro Bowl will now officially be known as “The Pro Bowl Games,” according to a press release from the NFL. Those games will include various skill competitions throughout the week in Las Vegas and then end with a flag football game. The competitions during the week will allow players to showcase both their football and non-football skills.

Peyton Manning and his Omaha Productions have reached an agreement with the NFL and will play a big role in delivering content for the Pro Bowl Games to fans. Manning will also be part of the coaching staff for the AFC vs. NFC flag football game.

Flag football has been an area of focus for the NFL in recent years and has helped with globally expanding the game. The hope is that the Pro Bowl changes will help further that.

If you follow LBS, you know that we proposed the flag football idea during the last Pro Bowl. There was no real contact in the game anyway, so why bother making players wear full pads?

The biggest issue with the Pro Bowl was that everything looked like a regular NFL game until the ball was snapped. The formations were the same and the players were dressed the same. Once the ball was in play, you realized you were watching something entirely different from an NFL game. A flag football game should be far more interesting than a watered-down version of tackle football.