What changes? The NFL will stop staging the Pro Bowl Games and, beginning with the 2026 season, will name just 88 players as Pro Bowlers, with no alternates added to expand the list when others withdraw.
The league said the chosen players will be invited to next year’s Super Bowl site in Los Angeles for an in-person celebration in February, rather than taking part in an AFC-NFC matchup, flag-football contest or skills competitions. Voting for selections remains divided among fans, players and coaches, each group accounting for one-third of the process.
Peter O’Reilly, NFL executive vice president, framed the change as a return to the award’s core purpose, saying, “The Pro Bowl has always been about recognizing the players who distinguish themselves as the very best in the NFL. 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 move closes a period of experimentation that reshaped the all-star event several times over the last decade. The AFC-NFC format gave way to a fantasy-style draft in 2014 and then returned in 2017. The game left its longtime home in Hawaii after 2016. Tackle football was last played in 2022, and the league rebranded the concept as the Pro Bowl Games in 2023 with skills events and flag football. This past season the Pro Bowl Games were moved to the Tuesday before the Super Bowl in San Francisco.
League officials said conversations with players informed the decision, with concerns that repeatedly adding replacement selections had weakened an accolade that can affect contracts and legacy. By fixing the roster at 88 originals, the NFL aims to make selection clearer and more meaningful for players and teams.
The change takes effect with the 2026 season, and stakeholders will see its impact when selections are announced under the new rules and the league stages its first Pro Bowl celebration in Los Angeles during Super Bowl week.
