We’re still years away from USA Football selecting its inaugural flag football national team for the 2028 Summer Olympics, but we can take this to the bank: Justin Jefferson will be a priority.
Jefferson’s size, speed and unmatched route-running ability make him a must-add for Team USA, per ESPN’s Matt Bowen. “Jefferson would be the toughest matchup in the world at the Olympics,” he wrote.
While Jefferson hasn’t officially committed to joining the team — he’ll turn 29 during the summer of 2028 — he made his interest clear shortly after NFL owners unanimously approved a proposal for players to participate earlier this year.
"That's the decision I'll definitely have to weigh in a little bit," Jefferson said. "It's three years from now, it's three whole seasons that I'm going to have to go through. Of course, getting older, body is going to be different, but that's definitely always been a dream. It's always been something I always wanted to do, compete for your country versus all of the other countries in the rest of the world."
One player per NFL team would be eligible for Team USA’s 10-player roster, which could also include participants who play flag football year-round. Jefferson is the obvious pick right now for the Vikings, as Bowen sees him as an almost unstoppable perimeter receiver in a game played without contract.
“As the league's premiere route runner, he can run all three levels of the route tree with his ability to set up coverage and slither in and out of his breaks,” Bowen wrote. “He can also bump inside to run the slot fades as an end-zone target."
There’s no shortage of NFL stars who could join Jefferson on this list. Ja’Marr Chase of the Bengals, A.J. Brown of the Eagles and CeeDee Lamb of the Cowboys are other potential game-changers, and young receivers like Malik Nabers of the Giants, Travis Hunter of the Jaguars and Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith, who will be eligible for the NFL Draft in 2027, could be ideal candidates due to their younger ages.
Jefferson will still be on the right side of 30, though, and if he’s healthy, you can bet his name will be on the short list for Team USA for the 2028 Olympics.
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