Will success of NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off make NFL more likely to loan players to Olympics?

The NFL can’t transform the Pro Bowl into anything nearly as compelling as the NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off. The next best thing is three years away.

With the powers-that-be already intent on making flag football a professional sport, the best way to kickstart the effort comes from putting pro football players in the first-ever Olympics flag football competition when the games resume in 2028.

Back in December, Jonathan Jones of CBSSports.com reported that a decision could come as soon as this spring. With the league’s annual meetings happening in March — and with the Scouting Combine typically consisting of various meetings in advance of the March powwow — the foundation for a consensus could be put in place in the coming days.

Jones also reviewed the factors that will influence the question of whether the league and the NFL Players Association will agree to amend the CBA to allow players to play flag football. There’s injury risk. And if injuries happen, who bears the financial consequences of the player’s inability to play?

The timeline of the Olympics (July 14 to 30) conflicts with the opening of training camps. And the trials process, which for the U.S. team could be more competitive than the Olympic competition, adds more risk of injury, more wear and tear, and more time not training for tackle football.

All things considered, the best play would be to nudge freshly-retired players toward the Olympics. If/when the NFL tries to make pro flag football a thing, players with recognizable names and faces who no longer have a spot, voluntarily or not, in the highest level of the game become prime candidates to sign up. Assuming the goal is to use the Olympics as the springboard for flag football for money, the smartest way to protect the money of the current players and owners is to make flag football a way for players to transition toward life after football.

Bottom line? When it comes to the pursuit of American gold, the NFL would be wise to protect the golden goose. And the best way to do that is for flag football to become the thing that the best players play when they’re no longer playing football.