NFL Players Cautious on League Putting a Franchise Overseas

Ryan Fitzpatrick Photographer: Sarah Stier/Getty Images Photo by Sarah Stier /Photographer: Sarah Stier/Getty

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(Bloomberg) — The NFL wants to keep growing and part of that strategy is building a bigger international presence.

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To get there, the league is increasingly hosting regular-season games outside the US. During Super Bowl week, we talked to current and former players about the NFL’s global ambitions and asked them these questions:

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Do you think we’ll see a team in another country and would you want to play for a franchise based outside the US? And if you had your choice, where would you place a team?

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Retired Players

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Jerry Rice: I can’t really speak on that for everyone. But if I was playing, I wouldn’t have a problem with it. Because I love playing football. I was one of those guys that actually went to training camp with the rookies, and I was a veteran. So, I was always ready to go. But that’s going to have to be decided. But if it was me, I would do it.

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Place to put a team: London

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Terrell Owens: Logistically, I don’t know how that would work. How far away? The only way I can see that is like having a team in Canada. But to have a team like overseas, that’s a lot of travel. As a player, I wouldn’t want that. I don’t know how many players would sign off on that. 

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Place to put a team: Canada

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Michael Irvin: Oh yeah, I would. We went to Mexico, but it was preseason. But absolutely, I love when we do this. I love that we’re making this slowly a more world game and not just our own team. 

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Place to put a team: Brazil 

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Ryan Fitzpatrick: I think that is very far away. It’s the logistics. They’ve thought about it. They try to work through it. One of the things I heard a few years ago was: What if you have a team with a home base in Florida? Say you spend a month in Florida, then you do a month in London and back and forth. But I think the logistics are very difficult. And so, we’re still a very long way away from that being a possibility.

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Place to put a team: Dublin

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Current Players

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Jordan Love: I definitely think that would be hard. It’d be tough logistically. If there’s a will, there’s a way. They’ll find a way to make it happen. The league wants to keep growing the game and put more games internationally. And who knows, maybe there will be a team over there one day.

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Place to put a team: London

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Demario Davis: I don’t think there’s any limitation on where this game could go internationally. The NFL is having all those conversations of what does this thing look like to expand internationally. There’s incredible hunger around the world, not just in America, for American football.

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Place to put a team: Paris

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Tee Higgins: It’ll be dope. Especially for me personally, I don’t travel that much. I need to start. 

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Place to put a team: Spain

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Cooper DeJean: I personally probably would not be a fan of that, but I am a fan of the international games and playing in different countries, seeing different fanbases, trying to expand the game internationally. Obviously, flag football is becoming a big thing internationally. But I don’t know about having a team in another country. 

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Place to put a team: London

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Editor’s note: Interviews have been edited for clarity.

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