The Pro Bowl has spent years trying to convince players and fans that an All-Star-esque honor still means something after waves of replacements, opt-outs and format changes. Gerald McCoy thinks the NFL may finally have found the right fix by making the honor harder to earn.
The former Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle backed the league’s sweeping 2026 overhaul, particularly the decision to eliminate replacement selections and recognize only the 88 players voted in initially.
Gerald McCoy Backs NFL’s No-Replacement Pro Bowl
“I ain’t even mad at this Pro Bowl thing,” McCoy wrote in an X post. “A LOT of players benefited from being able to call themselves Pro Bowlers because of being an alternate.”
McCoy’s issue is not with honoring more players for strong seasons. He believes the replacement system changed what the label itself represented, especially when a long chain of injuries, Super Bowl absences, and opt-outs could eventually push players onto the roster who were not part of the original vote.
“This is why being a Pro Bowler became watered down and not taken seriously,” McCoy continued. “Being voted in from the jump used to mean something. Now it will again. Announce the original team and that’s it.”
I ain’t even mad at this pro bowl thing. A LOT of players benefited from being able to call themselves Pro Bowlers because of being an alternate. This is why being a pro bowler became watered down and not taken seriously. Being voted in from the jump use to mean something. Now it…
— Gerald McCoy (@Geraldini93) August 26, 2026
McCoy speaks from experience rather than nostalgia from a distance.
He made six consecutive Pro Bowls with Tampa Bay from 2012 through 2017, earned first-team All-Pro honors in 2013 and added second-team selections in 2014 and 2016. All six selections came during a stretch in which he was one of the league’s most decorated interior defenders.
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NFL’s Pro Bowl Overhaul Goes Much Further Than Alternates
The NFL announced Wednesday that beginning with the 2026 season, only the original 88 selections will officially be recognized as Pro Bowlers. There will be no replacement selections, while voting will continue to be split equally among fans, players and coaches.
The league is also eliminating the AFC versus NFC Pro Bowl game entirely. The 2027 class will instead gather in Los Angeles during the traditional Pro Bowl weekend for an in-person celebration, while the NFL plans to expand separate flag football programming as the sport approaches its Olympic debut in 2028.
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The original selections will receive more permanent recognition, too. The NFL said Pro Bowlers will have visible recognition added to their uniforms and receive commemorative keepsakes, including personalized one-of-one Topps cards.
NFL executive Troy Vincent said the direction came from conversations with players who wanted the distinction of being selected to carry more weight. Reuters similarly reported that concerns about the honor becoming diluted through replacement selections helped drive the change.
That is precisely the part McCoy endorsed. The league can keep experimenting with how it celebrates its stars, but under this setup, the résumé line itself becomes much harder to inherit after somebody else declines it.
For a six-time Pro Bowler who believes the title had become too easy to acquire, restoring scarcity is the whole point.
