Mike Evans Using Pro Bowl As ‘Practice’ For Flag Football In 2028 Olympics

Most NFL fans (and even many of the players) find the Pro Bowl to be pretty pointless. But Mike Evans has a different perspective.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver says Sunday's Pro Bowl flag football game could be great preparation for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles — where flag football will be an official event for the first time ever.

"This is good practice for me in the Olympics," Evans said on Saturday. "Most likely I’ll be retired by 2028. How many years is that? Three years? I don’t know. But if I am retired, I would definitely like to play in the Olympics."

Announced in October 2023, flag football is one of five Olympic sports — joining baseball and softball, cricket, lacrosse and squash — that will be added to the list of events in 2028. 

Olympics flag football will be non-tackling (obviously) and played on a 50-yard field that is 25 yards wide with two 10-yard end zones. Both men's and women's teams will compete at the Games.

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Multiple current and former NFL players have already expressed interest in representing Team USA in 2028. But it’s still not clear whether NFL players will even be allowed to compete in the Olympics.

The Summer Olympics regularly coincide with the opening weeks of Training Camp, which could cause a problem when it comes to NFL player participation. The NFL released a statement last fall when flag football was confirmed for the Games, saying that the league would work with the NFLPA to potentially find a solution to the conflicting schedule.

READ: Flag Football QB Calls NFL Players ‘Disrespectful’ For Assuming They Would Make 2028 Olympic Team

As for Mike Evans, he'll be about a month shy of his 35th birthday when the 2028 Games begin. And while he said he'll likely be retired by then, the six-time Pro Bowler hasn't lost a step yet. Evans is currently tied with Hall of Famer Jerry Rice for the most consecutive 1,000-yard seasons at 11, and his 105 regular-season touchdowns are the most in the league since 2014.

He'll compete for Team NFC in the Pro Bowl, which kicks off at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday.