“Jackson and Mahomes have to buckle up”

The NFL decided on Tuesday that active NFL players can take part in the flag football tournament of the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. RTL expert Mona Stevens evaluates this decision and reveals how big the challenge for the best footballers in the world is in the end.

In addition, Stevens, who even plays American football and flag football, speaks in an exclusive interview with sport.de and RTL/NTV about the attitude of the flag football scene for this decision and the far-reaching consequences. She also names her American NFL Flag football dream team and also speaks about which German NFL players could make it into the squad for the games.

And what are the chances for both German teams on qualifying for the Flag football tournament 2028 in Los Angeles?

RTL expert Mona Stevens in an interview

Ms. Stevens, how do you find that active NFL players are now allowed to compete in Los Angeles for their respective flag football team at the 2028 Olympic Games? And how easy or difficult it will be for the NFL stars to master this change?

Mona Stevens: You can now look at this from several sides. Many from the flag football scene said something like: “Oh God. Please do not let them participate.” But in the end they have to complete this registration process and the Tryouts, like all other athletes. And this change now from Tackle to Flag football on the skill positions is a bit easier in the offense than in the defense. But this retraining, avoiding this contact, just have to practice that. But we’re talking about full -time professionals here, they don’t do anything else all day. And if they take a few weeks or a few months for intensive training to play a little flag football – they have to take part in the training camps of the national teams – then they can do this transition because they are simply full -time athletes.

How do you generally rate the decision of the NFL to have active players participating in the 2028 Olympics with a view to the Sport Flag football and from the point of view of the league?

Stevens: It is of course also a huge marketing topic if the NFL professionals are now there. I mean, we have now made it, Flag football is finally the Olympic in the home country of football in 2028. And now should the NFL players who simply do this sport shouldn’t have the chance to compete for their country? This is also a topic that naturally concerns players. I’ve already asked one or the other player how they stand. And they never have the chance to play for their country, because the NFL is just the National Football League, but they already call themselves World Champions. And now with the U.S. jersey for the country at the largest sporting event in the world, in order to also get a gold medal, is of course also an enormous goal for the players that they want to achieve. There are so many aspects. For the league, of course, this also means an amazing back wind – not only on the one hand, but also because Flag Football makes access to football even easier. You pick up a lot more people who can play this sport who get the enthusiasm for American football, who may also watch a little more football or play a flag football themselves, but also watch NFL-Tackle football. Of course, this also has a positive tailwind from all sides.

And how do you see it in the flag football scene?

Stevens: Sure, the people from the scene say now, maybe that’s a bit unfair. But stop, stop! Even the US national team boys say: “Hey, you also have to come to the Tryouts, you have to prove yourself first.” And there are already a few people who can play flag football really well. I also don’t think every NFL player can end up in the team.

How realistic do you think that NFL teams really park their top stars for the flag football national teams with regard to a risk of injury? You know certain problems with the NBA, for example.

Stevens: I think there are a lot of pages that you should bring from. Once there is the personal level that an athlete simply has in itself. Of course, the NFL players always look like machines that work and are in this NFL cosmos. And that’s the highest good in the world. But they may also have great ambitions to be there at the Olympics. So there is a lot going on on the personal level. And then it is also a profit for every NFL team if your player gets gold at the Olympics. Of course you can spread that into the world. And then there is talent promotion, youth players who may look at their national hero or their NFL heroes and then see, hey, he was even with a flag football at the Olympics. I may not make it into the NFL in the Tackle Football, but I can create flag football so that you motivate other people or also generate more fans. I think there are many points of view that you have to consult.

Let’s take ahead: Which (NFL) players should play from Germany to the games?

Stevens: There are two names for the German team that you definitely have to mention. This is once Amon-Ra St. Brown, who may also want to go into the Tryout for the American national team, but maybe also sees his chances for Germany. And just as Marcel Dabo. These are simply skill players who would be predestined because this switch to Flag football can be created relatively quickly if Germany is also qualified.

St. Brown has already known itself to the German team via social media post. Can you therefore expect that it will really act for Germany?

Stevens: In any case. I mean, he is also rooted. Amon-Ra even played in Germany for the youth-tackle football team and I think if he sees the chance, it is of course also an honorable task for him. And I’m very, very excited. I can chat a bit out of the sewing box: We have many training camps with the men together, women and men, we train in parallel and I am very, very excited to see which face we see and when. Because I think it is not enough to imagine for the first time in 2028. And you just have to keep in mind that only six women and six men’s teams from all over the world can qualify. This means that if someone like Amon-Ra or Marcel Dabo says afterwards: Hey, they are in the mood and they want to go with Germany, it would actually be very good if they already start and contribute to the fact that Germany also qualifies. Because the United States is qualified as the country of the winnings anyway. Delay from the fact that they have been wining gold for years, but the United States is almost there anyway. Therefore, only five starting places for the rest of the world remain.

How big is the chance that Germany will qualify for LA28 among men and women?

Stevens: Very large. So with the men we became European champions in 2023. The last world championship was not quite as successful now, but we had extreme changes in men. We have a new head coach from Mexico, where Flag Football National Sports, have been very, very long. And there were also many age -related changes and many new players were added. So there was a very, very large change for men and the women are always high in the world rankings. The first two teams are Mexico and the USA, and everything that comes from 3rd to 10th place is very close together. Japan, Spain, Great Britain, Germany. This is really always dependent on the tournament. And now it depends a bit on how we will professionalize ourselves in the next three years so that we can get the best form on tournament days. And that starts for us at the European Championship this year. The World Cup next year will probably be a first qualification round. Therefore, the chances are definitely there for both teams.

What would the ideal Dream team of the USA look at the Football flag if there were only NFL players?

Stevens: I have to say -now I’m probably a bit stone as a quarterback -but the current national quarters’ back of the USA, the house (Darrell Hush Doucette III, note of the editor), already has something on the box. He has really flag football moves on it. Lamar Jackson or Patrick Mahomes have to buckle up and a little faster and a quicker in this flag football movement. I am not sure whether we can fill the quarterback position there, precisely because it is a completely different game. If: Lamar Jackson or Patrick Mahomes on QB. I see Xavier Worthy on wide receiver because it is incredibly fast. Tyreek Hill has already said that he is the fastest in the world and will definitely be there. Justin Jefferson is definitely a candidate. And Travis Hunter is definitely there as an all -rounder.

This is Mona Stevens’ US Flag Football Dream team from NFL players

If Germany should qualify for 2028 Olympics and you would be, which NFL stars would you particularly look forward to meeting and getting to know them there?

Stevens: I don’t want to choose any. I was already allowed to meet my hero. I have already had a little conversation with Pat Mahomes during the exchanging jersey. But I think I would just like to exchange ideas with them, because the passion for sport is just the same with them. And that’s so different than in football. Whenever I met any of these guys or now at the Super Bowl commercial shoot, Myles Garrett or Marshawn Lynch were there, which were simply a bit of a bit of small talk and simply had this sportiness and sporty vein with you. So no matter who ultimately makes it into the team, I would just lead normal small talk with them. How your everyday life is or how you see flag football. Because if you ask a lot of flag football or NFL players how they stand for Flag football, they say: Yes, I also played that as a child. Almost everyone went through there and that’s why I can’t decide who I want to meet.

The conversation was conducted by RTL editor Alexander Judechko.