The Pro Bowl is gone and the Pro Bowl Games are here. Days after the NFL announced its annual All-Star Game will be replaced With multi-faceted skills competition this season, the league has unveiled additional details on the event. Namely, several seven-on-seven flag football games will headline the Sunday afternoon slot usually reserved for a full-contact matchup between the AFC and NFC Pro Bowlers. And all players elected to the Pro Bowl will have to participate, barring injury.
In a letter from the NFL to the NFL Players Association, the league clarified the following:
- The Pro Bowl Games will be divided into two categories of events: 1.) Skills Competitionsand 2.) Match Day Events
- The Skills competition will take place the week of the Games, from Tuesday to Saturday, and will include non-soccer activities such as dodgeball, a best catch competition and quarterback drills, including “thread the needle” accuracy tests .
- The Match day events will consist of approximately three hours of seven-on-seven flag football matches (without offensive or defensive linemen)
- The scores of both Skills competition and Match day events will be compiled to determine a Pro Bowl Games champion.
- All players elected to the Pro Bowl will be invited by the NFL to participate in specific competitions or games based on their position and skills.
- Each Pro Bowl team will always consist of 44 players; members of the winning team will receive $84,000 and members of the losing team will receive $42,000
It’s worth noting that the NFL’s letter regarding Pro Bowl Games rules officially designates the showcase as a “replacement event” for the 2022 season, suggesting the new format is just a trial run for years to come. .
