When the NFL awarded the Tennessee Titans zero prime time games in 2025, rookie quarterback Cam Ward should have taken that personally.
The next step: prove the league wrong.
The hope is, within the next few years, Ward is a star and the league looks back on this decision with regret.
Speaking of a decision by the NFL and potential regret, there's an even more important decision being discussed by the league which could directly influence Ward and the Titans down the line.
The NFL's upcoming decision on Olympic flag football could be the riskest bet yet for players like Cam Ward
The league continues to weigh the positives and negatives of allowing players to participate in Olympic flag football as early as the 2028 Olympics. This discussion is reportedly set to continue very soon, per a recent report from insider Tom Pelissero.
The policy being discussed would permit a limit of just one player, from each NFL team, to participate in the event.
One can't help but wonder whether or not some of those players would end up being bigger names.
After all, the league is a business, and the bigger the name, the more money generated. What happens if Ward's name comes up in those discussions down the line?
This opens the door for several possibilities, of which obviously entail potential injury. The last thing Titans fans would want to see is the team finally get themselves a franchise quarterback, in Ward, only for him to endure an injury for such a silly reason: flag football.
Olympic athletes are hardly paid for what they do, and of course NFL players will have precautionary measures taken as far as health risks involved. But, even after all bases are covered, there are still going to be injury risks. There is no escaping that fact.
There is no amount of money or possible rule to put in place that would prevent a non-contact injury happening at any given time. The only way to exterminate all risk would be for a player like Ward not participating.