The NFL announced today that the league is canceling the 2021 Pro Bowl game due to concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. It was scheduled to occur on January 31, 2021, at Allegiant Stadium — home of the Las Vegas Raiders.
Las Vegas is being awarded the Pro Bowl in 2022.
Pro Bowl honors and rosters will still be announced in December and continue to be based on the consensus votes from fans, players, and coaches, with each group's total votes counting as one-third of the selection process.
The elimination of the Pro Bowl could allow the NFL to add a Week 18 to the schedule before the playoffs. That would help if NFL games continue to be postponed and rescheduled due to COVID-19. The league could eliminate the Pro Bowl week entirely without impacting the scheduled date of Super Bowl LV. Of course, that would mean one week between the conference championship games and the Super Bowl rather than two.
H/t to Patrick Tulini for the find.