NFL ditches the Pro Bowl game, but not the Pro Bowl name
A detail view of the Pro Bowl Games logo on ball during the 2026 Pro Bowl Skills Challenge during the NFL Pro Bowl Games at Moscone Center South on February 1, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Kara Durrette/Getty Images)
It’s game over for the Pro Bowl. The National Football League will scrap its version of an all-star game in favor of a new way to celebrate that season’s best players at each position.
Big picture view:
On Wednesday, the NFL laid out its new vision of the Pro Bowl, and it is a vision without a game. Instead of celebrating the players on the gridiron, the new-look Pro Bowl festivities will focus on the selection of the 88 honorees.
What they're saying:
"A Pro Bowl selection will return to its original purpose, honoring the best of the best," NFL executive Peter O’Reilly said. "We want that distinction to carry even greater meaning for the players, their families, their clubs and our fans."
Dig deeper:
Going forward, players, coaches, and fans will decide which 88 players deserve Pro Bowl honors as the NFL’s top performers that season, and the winners will be announced during a selection celebration in late December. Players who are selected will have that fact added to their uniforms, the league noted.
The new system will also do away with the idea of alternate selections, with the league choosing to focus on the 88 players themselves. The NFL explained that eliminating those replacement selections would help highlight the significance of being a Pro Bowl honoree.
The Source: Information for this article was taken from the National Football League. This story was reported from Orlando.