Jerry Jones pushes back on idea of an expansion team in Europe
· Yahoo Sports
In recent weeks, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has commented on multiple occasions regarding his "no doubt" belief that the NFL will have multiple teams in other countries — with Europe being the most likely destination.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones doesn't see that happening through expansion of the league.
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“I don’t know about an expansion," Jones said on 105.3 the Fan in Dallas, via Brandon Contes of Awful Announcing. "I see the games continuing like they are. And I see the ethos, if you will, of the game, the story of the game really expanding all over the world. But fundamentally, to have an expansion team, probably is pretty far. If it’s here, it’s in the future.”
It's unclear whether Jones was expressing pessimism about an international presence generally, or specifically through expansion. Absent adding new teams, the only way to put teams in Europe or elsewhere would be to relocate existing franchises. (Good luck identifying teams that would be viable candidates to move.)
Regardless, Goodell currently has more power than any one owner. And if Goodell sees an international team coming, it makes sense to take him seriously.
For years, the NFL has dangled the possibility of a team in London as part of the effort to build interest there. More recently, the talk feels like something more than pandering to Europe.
If it happens, it surely won't happen soon. At some point, however, the only way to truly export the passion that American fans feel for the sport will be to give fans in other countries a local team around which they can rally. London continues to be the most logical starting point, with one team playing home games at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and the other playing at Wembley Stadium.
Since the merger in 1970, the NFL hasn't had a dramatic uptick in teams at one time. Two were added in 1976 (Buccaneers and Seahawks). Two more were added in 1995 (Jaguars and Panthers). The Browns returned in 1999, after the Browns became the Ravens, and the Texans rounded out the league at 32 in 2002.
Twenty-four years later, the NFL is in the longest stretch in league history without the addition of a new team. At some point, it will grow. When it does, two new teams in London make the most sense.