NFL eliminates Pro Bowl game and limits alternates

The NFL is ending the Pro Bowl game format and will recognize only the original 88 selections each season with no alternates, league executives told team owners, according to The Athletic and NFL communications.

Beginning with the 2026 season, the Pro Bowl presented by Verizon will be elevated as an individual honors award rather than an AFC vs NFC matchup, and the roster will include 88 players selected through an equal-weighted voting process among players, coaches and fans, NFL.com said.

Instead of staging a Pro Bowl game, Pro Bowlers will be invited to an in-person celebration in Los Angeles during February as the league shifts focus from the event itself to the recognition, according to The Athletic’s Jonathan Jones and NFL.com.

“Ultimately, the Pro Bowl, at its core, is about honoring the best of the best in that season, on the field, in real games,” said Peter O'Reilly, NFL executive vice president of club business, international and league events.

O'Reilly described the change as a shift away from the game and toward the honor, after recent formats led to more opt-outs and a larger pool of replacement players, according to The Athletic.

“But ultimately, the Pro Bowl, at its core, is about honoring the best of the best in that season, on the field, in real games. And the shift here is about shifting the focus from the game — which is ultimately where people's attention goes, especially the replacement players tied to it — to the honor.”

NFL executives told team owners that the Pro Bowl would have no alternates going forward, with 88 players receiving the honor each season, as The Athletic’s Jonathan Jones reported.

“All-star games, I think, for all leagues have been fraught for a long time, and they haven’t necessarily represented the very best premium of that sport for those players,” said Peter O’Reilly, NFL executive vice president of club business, international and league events.

The NFL said the 2026 Pro Bowl presented by Verizon roster will be announced in late December through an enhanced announcement highlighting the 88 selected players across NFL, club, social and broadcast partner platforms, and each Pro Bowl player will also receive a unique commemorative keepsake, NFL.com said.

Troy Vincent Sr. said the distinction still matters to players, adding that repeated compromises became standard and that it was not the product fans deserve or the way players want to be celebrated, as reported by The Athletic.

“You start doing it over and over again, and now what we’ve compromised on becomes the standard,” said Troy Vincent Sr.