The NFL’s schedule release began this morning with the release of the International Games and select holiday games. One thing that got the gears turning for me was that Jaguars will play two games in London this season. Jacksonville will become the first NFL team to play two regular-season games outside the United States. Could this be a precursor to something even bigger?
The Jaguars will play one home game and one road game in London this season. The home game will be their Week 4 matchup with the Atlanta Falcons on October 1. The road game will be their contest with the Bills in Week 5 on October 8. The Falcons game will be played at London’s Wembley Stadium. The Jaguars will take on the Bills at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Could the London Jaguars become a thing down the road? Last year, Commissioner Roger Goodell floated the idea of a four-team European division coming to the NFL eventually. Jacksonville will play their 10th and 11th games in London this season, making them an obvious candidate.
Speaking in London last year, Goodell said that he believes that the NFL can support multiple franchises across the pond:
“There’s no question that London could support not just one franchise, I think two franchises,” Goodell began. “I really believe that. That’s part of what we’re doing, right?” Goodell said. “We’re trying to sort of see, could you have multiple locations in Europe where you could have an NFL franchise? Because it would be easier as a division.”
I know Jaguars fans would hate that, but it seems like a likely scenario if and when this European Division comes to fruition. I would imagine that at least half of the four-team division would come via expansion. It’s been 21 years since the NFL expanded, and this project would likely be closer to a decade away, so by that time, it’ll be almost 30 years.
The NFL is hands down the most popular sports league in the United States, and they’ve been committed to playing games overseas for multiple years. Seeing them take the next step toward making their brand a global conglomerate seems like a natural evolution at some point.
— Bleacher Nation NFL (@BN_Touchdown) May 10, 2023
The NFL also released some of the holiday games this morning via various media outlets. The Jets will host the Dolphins in the first-ever Black Friday game the day after Thanksgiving. We also learned that the Giants and Eagles will square off on Christmas Day. Finally, the Chiefs and Bengals will meet on New Year’s Eve.
— Bleacher Nation NFL (@BN_Touchdown) May 10, 2023
The Detroit Lions landed quarterback Hendon Hooker in last month’s NFL Draft. Detroit selected Hooker in the third round, giving them a successor to Jared Goff. However, on a recent episode of the Green Light Podcast with Chris Long, Lions head coach Dan Campbell made it clear that Hooker will be the successor, and it won’t be anytime soon. In fact, Hooker won’t play in 2023, barring an injury to Jared Goff.
“Really, this is a redshirt year for him,” Lions coach Dan Campbell told Chris Long on the Green Light Podcast. “He’s got to get this leg right first, and then he’ll learn under Jared, and then let’s see what happens. If he can eventually become your two or maybe down the road, later on, it’s more than that, but it’s going to be a long time.”
Campbell likes where the Lions landed Hooker and believe that Jared Goff will have no issue with Hooker behind him on the depth chart:
“To be able to get him where we did — we traded back twice and we were still able to acquire him — we felt like that was, everything played out just the right way for us,” Campbell said. “We were excited, and to your point, yes, Goff is going to handle it well. He knew. [General Manager] Brad [Holmes] had called him, and he’s great. And he’ll help this guy just learn and grow.”
Dan Campbell: 'Going to be a long time' before Detroit Lions QB Hendon Hooker plays https://t.co/PB6u0tiZzx
Prosecutors said Matt Araiza was not present when an alleged gang rape of a minor occurred at an October 2021 party, according to witness testimony that prompted the San Diego District Attorney to not press criminal charges against the former Bills punter.
Prosecutors said Matt Araiza was not present when an alleged gang rape of a minor occurred at an Oct 2021 party, according to witness testimony that prompted the San Diego DA to not press criminal charges against the former Bills punter, via @agetzenberg.https://t.co/E3cLK4Vtql— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 9, 2023
Is Pat McAfee heading to ESPN? Andrew Marchand of the New York Post thinks that it’s “very likely.”
‘It’s very likely that he ends up on ESPN… I'd be surprised if it didn't happen.’@AndrewMarchand joins @DHenryTV to discuss the rumors of Pat McAfee looking to walk away from his deal with FanDuel to join ESPN
Patrick grew up in Chicago's Bridgeport and Garfield Ridge neighborhoods before moving to the Western Suburbs of Chicago before eventually relocating to the Las Vegas area with his family in 2023. He started with Bleacher Nation in 2021 and has spent time as a Staff Writer and on the Chicago Blackhawks beat. He is currently a writer and editor at Bleacher Nation covering the Chicago Bears and the NFL at large and the author of the Bleacher Nation Newsletter. Patrick is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA).
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