NFL owners unanimously passed the proposal to allow players to participate in flag football in the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. There are so many talented and worthy options to star on Team USA, but these are my early picks for the Dream Team.
QB: Josh Allen
You’d think the quarterback spot for Team USA will come down to Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, and Patrick Mahomes. All will be in the low 30s—so seniority should give them an edge over some of the younger options, but they aren’t too old to not be playing at an extremely high level still. I’ll give the nod to Allen partly because the Ravens and Chiefs have historically had—and arguably can project to based on the history—more options at other positions to be on the team. And ultimately, Allen played quarterback almost like it was flag football last season with the way he spread the ball around—and has a little more rushing ability to escape the rush than Mahomes. But there are plenty of options at quarterback aside from those three, including:
– Jalen Hurts (a winner with one of the game’s best deep balls)
– Jayden Daniels (an electric talent with phenomenal deep touch and accuracy)
– Bo Nix (an elite distributor at quarterback)
– Caleb Williams (immense talent and the ability to throw on the run)
– Joe Burrow (super accurate, but teammate Ja’Marr Chase seems like a lock)
– Justin Herbert (a golden arm to feed all the talent on Team USA)
RB: Jahmyr Gibbs
Bijan Robinson and others are probably in the mix, but the pure game speed of Jahmyr Gibbs—who, like Mahomes and Jackson, will have some competition on his own team to make Team USA—would be an absolute nightmare for defenses in flag football. The acceleration, agility, juke move, and receiving ability make Gibbs a potential chess piece like we’ve seen in real football with the Lions over a couple of seasons.
WR: Justin Jefferson
Justin Jefferson is an NFL FLAG ambassador and sounds like a total lock to be a headliner on Team USA—which he said at yesterday’s press conference would be a dream. Jefferson’s Gumby-like skill to run near-unguardable routes and get open at all areas of the field will be incredibly difficult for other countries to stop.
WR: Ja’Marr Chase
Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson terrorized defenses at LSU, and Team USA would give them an opportunity to reunite on a flag football superteam. Like Jefferson, Chase can win from everywhere on the field—but it’d also be a nice balance with arguably more ability to take quick passes and house them or just win on the go ball while Jefferson carves up the middle.
TE: Brock Bowers
Brock Bowers lit it up with 112 receptions for 1,194 yards and five touchdowns as a rookie last season, and the Raiders tight end will be just 25 years old for the summer of 2028. Not only does Bowers zoom through defenses with the ball in his hands, but he has premier ability to make spectacular catches among bigger targets.
Rusher: Micah Parsons
The primary rusher for the United States is probably a lock to be Micah Parsons, who plays for one of America’s most recognizable brands and wants to participate in the Olympics. Parsons’ energy is off the charts on the field, and you know he’s the type of guy that’d be going all out to get a gold medal.
CB: Travis Hunter
Versatility obviously comes into play with Travis Hunter, who played both ways for Colorado on his way to a Heisman Trophy. It sounds like the Jaguars want to focus mostly on wide receiver to start his NFL career, but he’s too much of a playmaker on defense not to work his way into close to a full-time role there. His talent on both sides would translate seamlessly to flag football.
CB: Pat Surtain II
The NFL’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year will be just 28 years old in three years, so expect him to still be near the top of his game as an eraser at cornerback. The size and athleticism would almost be unfair for other countries trying to get guys open against.
CB: Derek Stingley Jr.
Speaking of athleticism, Derek Stingley Jr. has plenty of that—and he takes the ball away with five interceptions in each of his past two years including an All-Pro campaign in 2024. Stingley will turn 24 next month, so he’ll be 27 for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
S: Malaki Starks
Projecting ahead, current rookie safety Malaki Starks could be the Raven that gets a Team USA nod. Teammate Kyle Hamilton has already indicated he’s planning to play for South Korea, and it’s easy to envision the United States having a great safety from Baltimore on its backend, too. Starks’ range should translate well to the NFL—and he might be in a prime spot to bring that skill to flag football in a few years.
Bench: De’Von Achane
I mentioned Bijan earlier, but De’Von Achane is someone else to keep in mind to be on the flag football squad. His speed and potential to take it to the house untouched will probably make him a difficult guy to pull the flags off if he’s in the game on offense. But part of why he’s one of the bench picks is because with his speed he’d hound quarterbacks as a rusher to give Parsons a breather on defense.
Bench: DeVonta Smith
For the bench players, we’ll want some flexibility to play both ways. Legendary Alabama head coach Nick Saban has said that DeVonta Smith also could have been a top-tier cornerback—so the former Heisman Trophy winner has that in his bag as we look for versatility on Team USA. Plus, getting an Eagles player on the squad makes sense given their success as a team.
You can’t have more than one player from an NFL team participate in the Olympics, but why not three wide receivers from LSU? I’ll also bring up Malik Nabers as an honorable mention: a freakish talent, who—like his fellow former Tigers—wins on all levels of the field.