Goodell: Broncos QB Russell Wilson called about changing Pro Bowl format

Did you like the Pro Bowl’s flag football format this season?

Well, apparently you can thank Broncos QB Russell Wilson for it.

Speaking to the media at his annual Super Bowl press conference on Wednesday, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was asked about the big change in 2023. The game had become an embarrassment over the last several years, with tackling optional and the effort at an all-time low.

“To me, the Pro Bowl was a pivotal moment for us, because we had to make a determination that the Pro Bowl in its current state last year was not something that represented the NFL well. We made the pivot to say we’re not going to play this game in the same context,” Goodell said.

And that pivot featured multiple flag football games, as well as other contests, with the AFC and NFC battling it out. Former Broncos QB Peyton Manning and his brother Eli coached the teams. The finale saw the NFC win it 35-33, with Peyton mad at the referees at the end. It was a much more enjoyable product.

The change may have happened regardless, but consider Wilson the catalyst for why it happened.

“In fact, I think it was Russell Wilson that called me the Tuesday afterward (last year) and said ‘let’s play a flag game.’ I give our team incredible kudos for re-evaluating everything we did there and coming up with a concept that our players loved. That they were part of making those changes,” Goodell said.

Wilson had his worst season as a pro in 2022, so he didn’t get to play in the game. But the players that were there seemed to like it much better, and the NFL is likely never going back.

“The players were wonderful. They loved it, they were embracing it, they thought this was a great format. I loved watching it because you got to see their personalities, you got to see their faces, you got to see them compete… I think we have a lot to build on there and I don’t see us going back… this is the future for us,” Goodell said.

Hopefully Wilson will get to enjoy the flag format at some point. That means he earned another Pro Bowl trip in a Broncos uniform after going nine times with the Seattle Seahawks. It’s something he, and the city of Denver, would love to see.

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