Could the end be near for the Pro Bowl, at the very least as it is currently known? Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

NFL owners discussing future of Pro Bowl at league meetings

By Zac Wassink | Last updated May 24, 2022 2:54 PM ET

The days of annual Pro Bowl games serving as actual competitive contests are well in the past. Players participating in the all-star exhibitions spend the majority of such matchups understandably avoiding injuries, and many have elected against playing at all in recent years.

As Michael David Smith explained for Pro Football Talk, the 2022 Pro Bowl drew 6.7 million television viewers. Despite that, the league has possibly seen enough.

Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport (h/t Nick Shook) and Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, NFL owners are discussing the Pro Bowl's future during this week's league meetings. Changes could be made to the game, or its format could be scrapped, entirely, and replaced by a flag football contest or a virtual experience.

According to Fowler, no vote is required to drastically change the Pro Bowl, and a new format could be announced this summer following discussions involving the NFL Players Association and broadcasters such as NFL Network and ESPN.

PFT's Mike Florio noted that the NFL will likely only replace the Pro Bowl "with something else that will be as profitable" as it pertains to in-person and televised events. While diehard football fans would likely flock to destination cities such as Las Vegas for autograph signings and to watch stars compete in certain challenges, it's unclear how many viewers would tune in to watch a non-contact game on a Sunday afternoon in February.

Zac Wassink

Zac Wassink is a longtime sports news writer and PFWA member who began his career in 2006 and has had his work featured on Yardbarker, MSN, Yahoo Sports and Bleacher Report. He is also a football and futbol aficionado who is probably yelling about Tottenham Hotspur at the moment and who chanted for Matt Harvey to start the ninth inning of Game 5 of the 2015 World Series at Citi Field. You can find him on X at @ZacWassink

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