NFL replacing Pro Bowl with skills competition, flag football game

Nobody cares about the Pro Bowl. And, from now on, nobody has to.

ESPN (via the Associated Press) is reporting that the NFL is replacing the Pro Bowl with what is being called “The Pro Bowl Games.” Here’s how the AP describes it.

It will be renamed “The Pro Bowl Games” and will feature AFC and NFC players showcasing their football and non-football skills in challenges over several days. The 2023 Games will be held in Las Vegas, and the flag football game at Allegiant Stadium is Feb. 5.

Fans will still be determining the rosters for the AFC and the NFC for The Pro Bowl Games, though the article really doesn’t get into how the selections for the skills competition are going to work.

As everyone has seen over the past couple of years, the Pro Bowl has become a bit of a joke that not even the players take seriously. Replacing it with a skills competition is a move that would actually generate some interest. As someone that grew up watching stuff like the skills competitions and quarterback challenges on Wide World of Sports and other venues, I’m curious to see exactly what the NFL has planned as far as these skills competitions are concerned. Perhaps they’ll even bring back the “NFL’s fastest man” competition that I think Darrell Green won every year for, like, fifteen years.

The NFL Pro Bowl is no more, ladies and gentlemen. How do you feel about this switch?