Flag football is set to be part of the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, and is growing in popularity as a high school sport in the United States. The success of both of these iterations of flag football, plus a huge international footprint, has put flag football on the fast track to the big leagues and NFL teams could soon be leading the charge.
Kansas City Chiefs owner Clark Hunt is in New Orleans as his team preps for the Super Bowl, and discussed the future of flag football in association with the NFL. He suggested that NFL teams could host multiple flag football teams in their home cities that share names and branding with the franchise.
“I certainly could envision on both the men’s and women’s side, if you wanted to sort of think into the future, every NFL team has their own men’s and women’s flag team that perhaps plays in the offseason and uses some of the branding of the parent team,” Hunt said from the site of the Super Bowl.
The most important part of this isn’t that the NFL “supports” or “likes the idea” of flag football, but that they would actively seek to bring them under the league’s umbrella in a way they haven’t embraced anything previously. Unlike the NBA and MLB, the NFL doesn’t have any official minor leagues, and hasn’t partnered with other football leagues in the United States.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell also spoke with reports, saying the NFL is looking into starting men’s and women’s flag football leagues aligned with teams. He has also acknowledged that NFL players have asked about participating in the Olympic version of the game.
“On the domestic side — both men’s and women’s — I think it is a little bit more organic and I think having more players [as well as operators and investors] is a good thing in the short term. I think long-term, it might make sense to have something that’s NFL branded, ” Clark said via Front Office Sports, reiterating that the league would like to integrate flag football into their business model.
Currently the league has pivoted to flag football with NFL players as part of the Pro Bowl games in order to limit injury risk during the all-star matchup. Despite being low for NFL standards, the game drew 4.7 million viewers in 2025 which will place it in the top 20 television shows of the week nationally.
The NFL season starts with training camp in July, continues during the preseason in August, and plays regular season football from September to mid-January when the playoffs begins. The Super Bowl is played in early to mid-February. The league calendar has free agency in March and the NFL Draft in April, but May and June are empty. That March to June timeframe could be perfect for the NFL to place flag football and completely fill the sports calendar.
Earlier this year, SB Nation had the chance to speak with international flag football star Diana Flores, who appeared in an NFL-backed Super Bowl commercial in 2023 supporting the NFL’s efforts to expand flag football. Her Mexico team has won gold and silver at multiple international tournaments, and she was the AFC offensive coordinator in the 2023 Pro Bowl.
“I believe women’s flag football is positioned for a significant breakthrough in popularity,” Flores said in January. “To keep this momentum going, we need to continue promoting grassroots initiatives, increasing media coverage, and organizing more high-profile events. Collaboration with major sports brands and educational institutions can also help amplify our reach. Ensuring that young female athletes have access to training, resources, and mentorship will be crucial in paving the way for future success in the sport.”
I doubt they are going to find more high-profile events and major sports brands than the NFL. And it looks like it’s all coming together in a big way.
