Roger Goodell floats ambitious NFL expansion plan

Apr 29, 2021; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announces the final pick of the 2021 NFL Draft for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at First Energy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The NFL has long floated the idea of putting a full-time franchise in London, but commissioner Roger Goodell went a few steps further with an idea he put forward on Saturday.

At an event in London, Goodell said he felt London could support two NFL franchises, and suggested they could be part of a future European division.

The future's bright for football in Europe! #NFLUK pic.twitter.com/S4nfXRMKgI

— NFL UK & Ireland (@NFLUKIRE) October 8, 2022

“There is no question that London could support not just one franchise, I think two franchises,” Goodell said. “And that’s from a fan perspective, from a commercial standpoint, and a media standpoint.”

Goodell was then asked about games being hosted in Germany, which will begin in 2022. The commissioner was asked somewhat tongue-in-cheek if Europe could just add a division to the league, and Goodell embraced the idea.

“That’s part of what we’re doing. 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,” Goodell admitted.

The NFL has long been rumored to be moving toward a franchise in London. One of the big concerns has been travel, so a full European division would mitigate some of that. Of course, that is even further away than a team in London is, as far as proposals and possibilities go, so travel would still be an issue in the interim.

Still, Goodell would not say this if he did not see it as a real possibility. It will be a few years, but the league certainly appears serious about this sort of major expansion.