NFL Players In The Olympics A Romantic Idea That Is Starting To Encounter Practical Drawbacks

The idea of putting together an American flag football team made up of mostly NFL players for the 2028 Olympics sounds inviting because, seriously, what country would put better talent on the field than a USA dream team of sorts?

This is the stuff of Hollywood scripts (the good kind without woke actors telling you who to vote for):

You've got the greatest football players in the world sacrificing their time, risking injury, and showing us love of country and competition as they represent their country in a legacy-defining accomplishment.

And how could the idea of adding another gold medal to America's column be anything but awesome? 

Agendas In Way Of Olympic Effort

The whole idea by NFL owners to be in unanimous agreement about joining the 2028 Olympics effort in Los Angeles seemingly has no drawbacks, right?

Well, no.

Because now the details are getting in the way.

Now you've got agents thinking of money, players thinking of themselves, the NFLPA thinking of a negotiating tool, and coaches thinking of their training camps and the possibility of injuries. Almost predictably, you've got a lot of people sticking their dirty little fingers into what seemed like a delicious pie.

This doesn't even account for the scores of fans that are about to hold their breath if their star quarterback or other player is risking an injury. 

So, suddenly, the romantic idea of representing the USA and standing on that gold medal platform during the playing of the Star Spangled Banner has run headlong into practical problems and potential pratfalls.

Let's begin with the fact some players are already backing away from the idea because, maybe, having a life is more important to them than hanging an Olympic medal around their neck.

Cincinnati Bengals WR Ja'Marr Chase listed his "Mount Rushmore" of all-time NFL receivers and named Antonio Brown and Cooper Kupp. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)

Ja'Marr Chase Non-Committal On Olympics

Cincinnati Bengals receiver Ja'Marr Chase is prominent among those. He spoke to reporters on Tuesday and made it very clear he's not committing to a darn thing.

"I don't know how I feel about it, if I'm being completely honest," Chase told reporters. "I don't know. I want to hear more. I want to hear more information about it and I want to know the timing for us – offseason, inseason. 

"I want to know if we're getting paid. I want to know are we traveling every other week or every day. That plays a part because we have an offseason. We have a life. Also, how long would that be? I don't know, there's a lot of questions to it."

This comes from a player that is generally in favor of the idea.  But he just might not be in favor to the extent he's competing.

"I think it's pretty cool, but I'm not really 100 percent on it yet," Chase added.

Patrick Smith/Getty Images

(Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

Lamar Jackson Seems Like A No

Chase is not alone. Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown already told reporters he's passing on the Olympics because, "I'm going to focus, and I'm going to keep the main thing the main thing."

Even the NFL player who perhaps strikes the most fear of anyone on a flag football field on the entire planet is apparently not interested.

"I doubt it. I'm a professional NFL player. So I'm just going to stay over here and let those guys have fun," Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson said on the team's The Lounge" podcast in August.

John Harbaugh is probably breathing a sigh of relief because at the March annual meetings, he seemed to be only half-joking when he was asked about Jackson playing in the Olympics.

John Harbaugh ‘Not Excited’

 "I'm afraid I have a quarterback that'd probably be pretty good at it, so no, I'm not that excited about that in all honesty," Harbaugh said. "I believe in America. I want gold medals, but …"

Yeah, we get it. Coaches want their players focused on their teams and ready to play rather than nursing a potential injury suffered at the Olympics.

If this sounds like not everyone is embracing the chance to compete in a world event three years from now, well, that's because they're apparently not.

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray, another elusive pinball on the football field, has talked about liking the idea in the abstract. But he is not committing to playing.

And even if he does, he might opt to compete for South Korea instead of the United States because his mother is of Korean heritage. 

NFLPA Will Turn This Into A Negotiation

And then we have the part where the NFL Players Association and agents will get involved. 

You read Chase asking about getting paid. That's something agents will almost definitely bring up with teams in one way or another – possibly as bonuses, possibly in the form of higher guarantees to guard against injuries.

The NFLPA, meanwhile, expects a negotiation with the NFL to occur over this issue.

"We look forward to working with the league, IFAF (International Federation of American Football), and Olympic authorities on the terms of (players') participation to ensure players who compete will do so with protections to their health, safety and job," NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell said.

That means there will be lawyers.

Funny, we never heard about any of this stuff when Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and the original Dream Team were so fun to watch.