The NFL is putting an end to the controversial Pro Bowl Games after 75 years and will transform the event into a purely ceremonial tribute to the season’s best players, without any competitive play.

The NFL is drawing a line under a decades-long tradition. As the league announced Wednesday at the owners’ meetings in Atlanta, the Pro Bowl will no longer be held as a game.

Instead, the 88 best players of the season will be officially named Pro Bowlers and honored at a ceremony in Los Angeles, complemented by several flag football events.

“It’s okay to be the first league to move away from a competitive All-Star game,” said NFL Vice President Peter O’Reilly during the announcement. The Pro Bowl had been a staple of the NFL calendar since 1951; it was canceled only once, in 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

NFL: Historically Low Ratings for the Pro Bowl

The move comes as no surprise. Four years ago, the NFL had already replaced the traditional tackle format with a flag football game to reduce the risk of injury to the stars.

But even that couldn’t stop the gradual decline in the event’s significance: The 2026 edition in San Francisco set a historic low with only 1.9 million viewers in the U.S.

This also puts an end to the vexing issue of replacements. Until now, a string of substitutes had to step in whenever stars withdrew due to injuries or other commitments—which further eroded the event’s prestige.

Going forward, the roster will remain at the originally selected 88 players, who will continue to be chosen in equal parts by a vote of players, coaches, and fans.

The NFL emphasizes that the Pro Bowl should thus return to its true essence: celebrating the best performances on the actual field, in real regular-season games—rather than in a show with no sporting significance.