All articles tagged with #pro bowl
The NFL announced it will retire the Pro Bowl as a competitive game and instead honor players with Pro Bowl selections; rosters will be 44 per conference with voting unchanged, and the change aims to emphasize player safety while preserving the prestige of the honor for the league’s best players.
The NFL has scrapped the Pro Bowl as a standalone game and will instead award Pro Bowl designations to 88 players, with an in-person roster celebration planned for February, a move reflecting years of player opt-outs and a flag-football format introduced to reduce injuries.
At the NFL owners meeting in Atlanta on Aug. 26, 2026, the league announced it will end the Pro Bowl as a game but will continue to honor selected players through other recognitions.
The NFL will discontinue the Pro Bowl Game and instead honor 88 Pro Bowl players in Los Angeles before the Super Bowl, citing player input and concerns that the game isn’t up to NFL standards. The move follows discussions about improving how players are honored and acknowledges the long-standing, non-contact flag-football format that began in 2023, which hadn’t boosted interest or participation.
The NFL is scrapping the Pro Bowl game in favor of an 88-player honor and a Los Angeles celebration in February; selections remain by fan, player, and coach ballots, but there will be no alternates or game, as the league shifts to honoring the season’s best and aligns with future Olympic flag football promotions.
Trevon Diggs, a former All-Pro defensive back who led the league with 11 interceptions in 2021, signed a one-year deal with the Seattle Seahawks after multiple knee procedures since 2023 and is determined to prove he’s still among the league’s elite. He credits Seattle’s aggressive, turnover-prone defense under coordinator Aden Durde and coach Mike Macdonald as a good fit and says he’s focused on winning and returning to his best form.
The Buccaneers and DT Vita Vea agreed to a one-year, $30 million extension, creating a two-year, $48 million deal with $6 million of new money in 2026 and a 2026 salary of $24 million; the contract’s guarantees weren’t specified. Vea, a 2018 first-round pick, had asked for a trade but stayed with Tampa after the team sweetened the deal; he’s a two-time Pro Bowler (2021, 2024) and a Super Bowl LV champion.
Packers cornerback Keisean Nixon, who earned Pro Bowl recognition last season as a corner and returner, is in a heated competition for a starting job in 2026. He emphasizes competing for himself and staying ready, while coach Matt LaFleur notes that the decision will hinge on assignment consistency, ball pursuit, and tackling. The Packers’ unofficial depth chart lists Nixon as the starter with Benjamin St-Juste backing him up, and Nixon started the preseason opener. Nixon is undrafted (2019) and enters the final year of his contract, with about $2.66 million in salary and per-game bonuses.
Dallas Bay area? No. The Dallas Cowboys signed defensive tackle Quinnen Williams to a three-year, $105.9 million extension (about $101 million guaranteed), adding it to a five-year, $153.15 million deal with two years left. Williams, 28, had his first full season with Dallas after being acquired from the Jets in 2025, posting 25 tackles, 1.5 sacks and an interception in seven games and earning his fourth straight Pro Bowl.
Baltimore and wide receiver Zay Flowers have agreed to a four-year extension worth about $140 million, with $108 million guaranteed, placing him among the top-paid receivers at roughly $35 million per year after his Pro Bowl seasons in 2024 and 2025.
Former NFL running back Ahman Green disclosed on a GoLongTD.com podcast that he has been diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson's disease, with the diagnosis confirmed in January 2025 after years of subtle symptoms; Green, a 12-year veteran and four-time Pro Bowler, waited to share the news after informing his family.
Veteran defensive back/linebacker Jamal Adams is joining the Minnesota Vikings, giving coach Brian Flores a versatile defender after a career that has included two Pro Bowls and All-Pro honors with the Jets and Seahawks and stints with the Titans, Lions and Raiders; his exact role in Minnesota—safety or linebacker—remains to be determined as he enters his 10th season.
Sports Illustrated’s Conor Orr identifies eight players who could earn their first Pro Bowl in 2026, including two quarterbacks (Jordan Love of the Packers and Caleb Williams of the Bears), plus Browns LB Carson Schwesinger, Bears TE Colston Loveland, Rams G Kevin Dotson, Texans S Jalen Pitre, Jaguars K Cam Little and Chargers RB Omarion Hampton, arguing their production, fit with evolving offenses, and standout traits could elevate them to the Pro Bowl next season.
The Tennessee Titans signed defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons to a three-year, $105.8 million extension (about $35.2 million per year), extending his deal through 2030 and making him the highest-paid interior defensive lineman by new-money average. The extension, which also stretches the overall contract to five years and $149.97 million, solidifies Simmons as the cornerstone of Tennessee’s defense after a four-time Pro Bowl and 2025 All-Pro resume.
Former NFL defensive end Aldon Smith has died at 36; the San Francisco 49ers confirmed his death but did not disclose a cause. A standout 2011 rookie season with 14 sacks earned him All-Pro and a Pro Bowl, but his career was derailed by off-field issues and suspensions, including time with the Raiders and Cowboys before retiring in 2023.