Minnesota Viking wide receiver Justin Jefferson dreams of winning a gold medal at the 2028 LA Olympics.
Widely considered the best recipient in the NFL, Jefferson hopes to represent Team USA in Los Angeles in three years, following news of flag football’s introduction at the Olympics.
The 32 NFL owners voted unanimously to allow active players to participate in the world’s largest international sporting event, and Jefferson attended a press conference to League Commissioner Roger Goodell to express his commitment.
“It’s a dream to think about the possibility of playing at the Olympics and winning gold medals. Going back to being a child, watching track and field watch the tournament, and watching basketball win gold medals.” Jefferson said.
Jefferson’s support could lead to the domino effect of declaring interest in America’s best footballers playing in the Olympics.
If the former offensive player who leads the league at reception and receives the yards is eager to play, why isn’t anyone else like that?
Watch: Justin Jefferson plays at the 2028 Olympics
“It’s a dream to think about your chances of playing at the Olympics and winning a gold medal.”@nflflag Ambassador Justin Jefferson shares his excitement for flag football to take part in the 2028 Olympics in LA! @jettas2 pic.twitter.com/v0gufztnrp
– nfl (@nfl) May 20, 2025
How is flag football different from traditional games?
In a traditional game, also known as tackle football, players wear protective gear, get full contact and tackle enemies on the ground in a high-strength environment.
Flag football, on the other hand, sees the player wearing a belt with the flag attached, and in order to stop playing, the defender must remove the opponent’s flag.
It is much safer, focusing on strategy and agility rather than brute force. As seen in NFL tackle football, Olympic flag football is played as a 5-on-5 game.
In flag football, teams earn points by moving the ball into the opponent’s end zone with additional points or field goals offered after a touchdown. This is the same as a traditional game.
Quarterbacks have limited time to throw the ball before the bag is called, and normal penalties are seen in flag football, including offensive and defensive passing interference, illegal contact, retention, and illegal use of the hand.
