NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell wants to see a European division.
National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell has been speaking about forming a European Division for years with London as the European base franchise and maybe a franchise in Germany or somewhere else. But one of the most influential owners, Dallas’ Jerry Jones, isn’t really that interested in adding franchises outside of the United States. Jones on his Dallas radio show talking about his team before the Cowboys-Baltimore Ravens in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil said. “I don’t know about an expansion. 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.”
Jones does endorse the idea of playing games in international markets. Jones said he likes playing outside the United States, though he prefers Mexico, where the Dallas Cowboys already have a following. But Goodell keeps pitching the notion that franchises are coming to Europe and one day a Super Bowl will be played in some international location. “At some point, there will be NFL teams outside the USA. I have no doubt that this will happen one day,” Goodell told former NFL player Markus Kuhn who grew up playing football in Germany and played for the New York Giants. As far as the Super Bowl, Goodell said “there are definitely international cities that could host something like that. But we would like to see an NFL team in such a city first.” The NFL has played one game in Melbourne, Australia this year. In October, there are three international games in London and one in Paris. There are two more European games scheduled in Madrid and Munich In November along with a Mexico City game.
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