For the past few days, we have seen an uptick in Olympic flag football chatter, and Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones decided to join the conversation.
As the league continues to work through its decision on whether or not to allow NFL players to participate in the games, Jones seems pretty sold on the idea.
"Flag football players may be upset at me for this, but yes, I would absolutely love it.
Every other sport gets an opportunity to win a gold medal, and if you're not serving your country in the military, I feel like that's the other highest honor that you can represent your country in."
Affinity for Olympic flag football is real for Aaron Jones, but there's no reason for Minnesota Vikings fans to worry
While it's endearing to hear Jones talk about serving his country in this respect, the idea of NFL players suiting up for an otherwise-meaningless flat football game is cause for concern.
Some Vikings fans might immediately pause and raise the question of why any pro players would risk injury by playing in a flag football game. And, these concerns are legitimate.
When it comes specifically to Jones, though, there is no realistic reason to worry. If the league passes an allowance for one player from each team to participate, it won't be until at least 2028.
By then, Jones very well could not only be out of Minnesota but out of the league, entirely.
Now, that sounds like an awfully negative thing to say. But the reality is, Jones is 30 years old. To think about a 33-year-old running back having a real impact on an NFL team is a pipe dream at this point.
That's just the reality of it all, quite frankly.
If Jones was, indeed, still in the league, it might not be that big of a deal for him to participate in the Olympics at 33-years-old. He'd be near the end of his career anyway, so why not let him have the privilege? At least, Vikings fans would have another avenue to cheer on a favorite of theirs.
