NFL ends the Pro Bowl game, but players will still be honored as Pro Bowlers

The Pro Bowl is no more, the NFL announced Wednesday, ending an exhibition of the league’s top players that was held in some form almost every year since 1951.

The game wasn’t played in 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but that was the only pause in the postseason event.

“It’s OK to be the first league to walk away from a competitive all-star game,” NFL executive vice president Peter O’Reilly said at the owners’ meeting in Atlanta.

The league said 88 players will still be named as Pro Bowlers and honored in Los Angeles after this season. Several flag football events also will take place at that time.

“The Pro Bowl has always been about recognizing the players who distinguish themselves as the very best in the NFL,” O’Reilly said in a statement. “A Pro Bowl selection will return to its original purpose, honoring the best of the best. We want that distinction to carry even greater meaning for the players, their families, their clubs and our fans.”

O’Reilly said the decision was “a shift from the game to the honor.”

Troy Vincent, the league’s executive vice president of football operations, said he heard from players that they “don’t want competitive play” after the playoffs.

“You come off the championship games and the viewers see the physicality of the game and you try to replicate that,” Vincent said. “Frankly, it just doesn’t sit well. This isn’t a good representation.”

The Pro Bowl has waned in popularity in recent years. Once a staple in Honolulu, the NFL has moved the event to various cities and even switched from tackle to flag football in 2023.