Overview
- The NFL told team owners on Wednesday that it will stop staging the Pro Bowl game and the Pro Bowl Games competitions and instead will name 88 players as Pro Bowl honorees each season.
- Only the original 88 selections will be designated Pro Bowlers and no alternates will be added, a change designed to preserve the honor’s value for contracts and player legacies.
- The league will keep the existing voting split among fans, players and coaches, and the Pro Bowl roster will be revealed in late December with an in-person celebration during Super Bowl week in Los Angeles.
- Executives cited years of declining TV audiences, frequent player withdrawals and direct conversations with players as the main reasons for ending the low-stakes exhibition game.
- The decision caps decades of format changes — from the traditional tackle game to fantasy drafts to flag and skills events since 2023 — and refocuses the Pro Bowl on seasonal recognition rather than a televised matchup.