Wildcats FFC quarterback Joe Burrow throws the ball during the Fanatics Flag Football Classic at BMO Stadium. Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Bengals QB Joe Burrow expresses interest in 2028 Olympic flag football

By Olamilekan Ajayi | Last updated Mar 22, 2026 11:23 PM ET

Joe Burrow, the Cincinnati Bengals starting quarterback and 2020 Heisman Trophy winner, has made his intentions clear: he wants to compete for Team USA when flag football makes its Olympic debut at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

Speaking before the Fanatics Flag Football Classic last Saturday in Los Angeles, Burrow did not hedge or qualify it as something he was simply open to. He spoke about childhood Olympics memories and what winning gold would mean.

The 29-year-old has never competed in an Olympic sport, and this could be his first realistic shot at that stage. NFL reporter Dov Kleiman shared his remarks on X.

Burrow's Wildcats fall short, but his Olympic ambition stays strong

Scary: Bengals star QB Joe Burrow wants to be Team USA’s flag football quarterback in the 2028 Olympics.

“I’ve always wanted to play in the Olympics. I’ve never necessarily played an Olympic sport before, so when this got announced, I was pretty excited about it,”

pic.twitter.com/5c0Ij1AcUA
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) March 23, 2026

Burrow co-captained the Wildcats FFC alongside Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels at BMO Stadium, with the team coached by San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan.

The Wildcats went 1-2 in the round robin, beating seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady's Founders FFC before falling to Team USA 39-14.

They met the national team again in the championship and dropped that one 24-14.

Burrow addressed reporters before the games, and his focus was already pointing toward 2028.

"I've always wanted to play in the Olympics. I've never necessarily played an Olympic sport before, so when this got announced, I was pretty excited about it," Burrow told the Cincinnati Enquirer.

He was specific about why the gold medal pursuit felt personal.

"The opportunity to win a gold medal [is] something that I've thought about, a moment like that, for a long time, since I was a kid. I think it would be something very special," Burrow said.

NFL owners voted unanimously last May to allow active players to participate, with a maximum of one player per team eligible to represent their country at the Games.

Flag football veterans are not handing over their Olympic roster spots easily

Not everyone is ready to welcome NFL players onto the national roster. The U.S. national team went 3-0 at the same event, outscoring opponents 106-44 combined.

Darrell "Housh" Doucette III, who has quarterbacked the U.S. national team since 2021 and led the program to multiple global championships, won tournament MVP Saturday and did not hold back.

"I think it's disrespectful that they just automatically assume that they're able to just join the Olympic team because of the person that they are; they didn't help grow this game to get to the Olympics," Doucette said.

USA Football, not the NFL, controls the final roster selection, as commissioner Roger Goodell has confirmed. The process runs through formal tryouts and a national training camp before the 10-man squad is chosen.

Olamilekan Ajayi

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