Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow will participate in the Pro Bowl Games for the first time on Thursday night in the skills competition in Orlando, Florida. Burrow, who led the NFL in passing yards this season, had been voted to the Pro Bowl twice before but had previously declined.
The Pro Bowl Games face challenges getting star quarterbacks to participate, with Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens and Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills, who both had deep playoff runs, not playing this year. C.J. Stroud of the Houston Texans declined as an alternate, and Bo Nix of the Denver Broncos passed due to a back injury.
The AFC quarterbacks besides Burrow are Drake Maye from the New England Patriots (who replaces Jackson) and Russell Wilson from the Pittsburgh Steelers (who replaces Allen). The NFC quarterbacks are Sam Darnold from the Minnesota Vikings, Jared Goff from the Detroit Lions, and Baker Mayfield from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (who replaces Jayden Daniels of the Washington Commanders).
J.J. Watt, a former five-time Pro Bowler, criticized the event after five alternates were named, calling it the “Participation Bowl”.
The Pro Bowl Games, which have been revamped to focus on flag football, have completed their second year. The NFL reports that fan and player interest remains high, giving the event more stability.
Peter O’Reilly, the NFL’s executive vice president of club business, international, and league events, expressed confidence in the new format. “This is different,” he said, referencing the shift to flag football. Since its start in 2023, the flag football game has averaged 57,020 in attendance.
The Pro Bowl’s return to Orlando in 2024 followed the success of the event in Las Vegas, and local officials are happy to host the game again. Steve Hogan, CEO of Citrus Sports, praised the high energy in the stadium and constant fan engagement. Visit Orlando’s CEO, Casandra Matej, said the Pro Bowl brings a $45 million economic impact to the area.
TV ratings have dropped across all-star events in other pro sports, but the Pro Bowl Games have performed well, with 5.8 million viewers last year—nearly tripling the ratings for the 2024 Stanley Cup Finals.
O’Reilly shared that players’ feedback about the new format has been positive, with satisfaction increasing significantly since the event switched to flag football. This shift could be contributing to better player participation, with fewer replacements this year, even with the Super Bowl taking players away from the event.
The move to flag football has helped the Pro Bowl become more competitive, as players are no longer worried about injuries that come with tackle football.
Flag football has also made the event more relatable to younger fans who are playing flag football in greater numbers, which the NFL views as an important focus leading up to the 2028 Olympic Games, where flag football will be featured for the first time.
“We came together with the players, made the determination to move away from the tackle football game and create something that really accomplished a number of things,” O’Reilly said. “And at the core of this is celebrating some of the best players in the NFL, doing that in a way that works for them and has the right feel to it and is fun.”