NFL Scraps Pro Bowl After 75 Years, Will Still Honor All-Stars

The NFL announced Wednesday it is ending the Pro Bowl, the exhibition showcasing the league's top players that had been held in some form nearly every year since 1951.

The game was played every postseason except 2021, when it was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite scrapping the game itself, the league said 88 players will still be named as Pro Bowlers and honored in Los Angeles after this season, alongside several flag football events.

The NFL said it plans to "elevate" Pro Bowl selections going forward, with no replacement picks for players who are injured or playing in that year's Super Bowl — a practice used in the past. This year's honorees included Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders, Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Devin Lloyd and Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson.

"The roster will continue to be determined through an equal-weighted voting process among players, coaches and fans," the NFL said in a statement.

League executive vice president Peter O'Reilly said the change refocuses the honor on its "original purpose."

"The Pro Bowl has always been about recognizing the players who distinguish themselves as the very best in the NFL," O'Reilly said. "A Pro Bowl selection will return to its original purpose, honoring the best of the best. We want that distinction to carry even greater meaning for the players, their families, their clubs and our fans."

The Athletic reported that Troy Vincent Sr., the NFL's executive vice president of football operations, discussed the Pro Bowl's future this summer in a call with more than a dozen star players, who said they wanted a celebration of the league's all-stars rather than a game.

The Pro Bowl's popularity had waned in recent years. Once a fixture in Honolulu, the event moved to various cities and switched from tackle to flag football in 2023.