With the Pro Bowl as we know it going away, the structure of the retooled event came into focus Thursday. The NFL and NFLPA announced an early version of what will be replacing the decades-long all-star game.
Calling it a “replacement event,” the league and the union announced the players selected will be required to participate (barring injury). That marks a change from the 2020 CBA, which indicated participation in a Pro Bowl replacement voluntary. While it is worth speculating whether the term “Pro Bowler” will remain in place, it will be interesting to see if nearly as many alternates will be named compared to the recent past, which saw numerous primary and auxiliary alternate players given Pro Bowl invites.
A series of skills challenges — including dodgeball, quarterback drills, “best catch” and “thread the needle” — will take place during the usual Pro Bowl week. On the Sunday before Super Bowl LVII, a seven-on-seven flag football event will be held. Only skill-position players, as is the case in seven-on-seven sessions, will participate in that game. Other skill-related activities, presumably for linemen and specialists, will be on tap for that revamped Sunday.
Players representing the conference declared the winner — based on various scores from the skills events — will receive $84K, while the losing conference’s all-stars will collect $42K. To receive a share, players must participate in the Sunday event and at least one game-week event. This is unchanged from the shares players would receive for Pro Bowl participation.
The Pro Bowl had been in place since 1938, but as the exhibition declined in popularity, calls for its end came for several years. Starters frequently bowed out, and the game’s effort level was understandably not comparable to regular contests. In 2016, an NFL-record 135 players were named Pro Bowlers, due to the number of alternates needed to be invited to ensure full rosters, while ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert adds 125 were summoned in 2017. The alternate count led to the “Pro Bowler” label losing luster. The skills challenge week, or however it will be referred this year, almost certainly will not need that many players to fill out rosters, perhaps leading to a more consistent number of all-stars each year.
They should just stop counting how many pro bowls people go to. Means nothing it’s a popularity contest. Instead let’s focus on how many all-pro teams they made in their career
No pro bowl, no Hawaii.
How about nfl players just playing dodgeball in Detroit?
while ppl may tune in this year just to peep the new format , over time , even less people will watch this
should’ve just accepted the pro bowl for what it is , a charade.
I can think of several players I’d pay good money to see Rip Torn throw wrenches at. And plenty of commenters from this site as well.
Bold move, Cotton.
How about we replace the game of football with that fold up paper triangle version of the game?
You sit a player from each team down on opposite ends of the table and they go head to head for 1 try to score the ball via paper triangle football rules. If they want to try to kick a FG or a PAT, the all-pro voted kicker gets to sub in and flick the ball.
You go through every player set until they all have a chance, the team with the most points at the end wins a pizza party for everyone, even the losers.
Yay….
Nobody cares about the Pro Bowl and nobody will care about who can jump, bend and twist the most. It is by far the best sport , move on and stop trying to squeeze every last Penny.
If the NFL wants top ratings they’ll need to have the players demonstrating their handgun and felonious assault skills.