Texas Longhorns' Arch Manning predicted as potential face of NFL’s 2028 Olympic flag football games

The NFL and the Olympics just got real.

On Tuesday, the league and its owners approved a resolution that will allow active NFL players to participate in Olympic flag football during the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

It’s a massive development for the sport, offering football a global platform with the potential to showcase some of the NFL’s biggest stars on the Olympic stage.

Though the 2028 Games are still four years away, projections are already surfacing — including one from CBS Sports’ Shehan Jeyarajah — about who might represent the NFL in Los Angeles.

By the time the Games open on July 14, 2028, the league will have gone through three additional draft classes. That timeline aligns with the likely NFL debut of college football’s most hyped quarterback: Texas Longhorns signal-caller Arch Manning.

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"Let's be clear, the NFL is going to send its biggest and brightest stars at the quarterback position to the Olympics to help market the game," Jeyarajah wrote. "If there's one name that just might be big enough to enter the conversation by 2028, though, it's Arch Manning. The redshirt sophomore has only thrown a few passes at the college level, but showed off an amazing combination of his uncles' arms and grandfather's mobility."

MORE: Texas' Arch Manning dethroned as top college QB despite being projected first overall pick

Manning could declare for the NFL Draft as early as 2026, though most projections — including those from Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer — suggest 2027 or even 2028 is more likely. That means he could either be one year into his NFL career or just entering the league when the Olympics arrive.

That raises the question: Would an NFL team be willing to let its young franchise quarterback participate in the Olympics? With quarterback development being such a meticulous and high-stakes process, it could be a risky proposition.

That question is part of a broader list of logistics the NFL must work through ahead of 2028. Insurance policies and scheduling concerns will have to be resolved well before any players hit the field.

“The NFL stated in its resolution that ‘one or more League-wide insurance policies’ would provide the appropriate injury protection, though details of such policies remain unclear or undecided,” CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones reported. “Furthermore, a ‘schedule for flag football games and related events in such a way that does not unreasonably conflict with an NFL player's league and club commitments’ must also be considered.”