London could be home to two NFL teams if a European division of American football's premier league gets off the ground.
The NFL first started playing international games in 2007 with the goal of turning the league into a truly worldwide brand. Fifteen years later, commissioner Roger Goodell continues to field questions about the final goal of that effort.
Could the NFL become a trans-Atlantic league with franchises in Europe? It appears the answer is that yes, it could, if not quite yet.
Speaking to fans on a panel with former players Osi Umenyiora, Victor Cruz and Maurice Jones-Drew, Goodell spoke positively about the possibility of an NFL franchise – or two – calling the UK home.
"I think there's no question that London could support not just one franchise, I think two franchises, I really believe that," Goodell said. "That's from a fan perspective, a commercial standpoint, from a media standpoint, I think you [the UK fans] have all proven that."
The Green Bay Packers will become the last of the NFL teams to have played a game in the UK when they face the New York Giants on Sunday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the second of three games this year in London.
On October 30, the Denver Broncos and Jacksonville Jaguars will play at Wembley Stadium.
The NFL will also play its first ever game in Germany next month when Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers face the Seattle Seahawks at Allianz Arena in Munich.
The panel's host, Neil Reynolds of Sky Sports, joked that the NFL should have an entire division based in Europe, an idea well received by Goodell.
"That's part of what we're doing, right?" Goodell said. "We're trying to see 'could you have multiple locations in Europe where you could have an NFL franchise?', because it would be easier as a division."
Despite the success of the NFL's International Series, the primary concern with its expansion remains competitive balance.
"The question I think is going to come down to, not so much the logistics about travel, that's clearly a challenge, it really comes down to whether you can do it competitively, where the team here or the teams in the States coming over can continue to be competitive, and that was the challenge when we did the regular-season games," Goodell said.
"There was a lot of concern with ownership when we first introduced it, and frankly it took the guts of the Giants and Dolphins that came out here the first time, they had to prove we could do it competitively.
"This is where it turned around [for the 2007 Giants] and they went and won the Super Bowl that year. That sent a message to everybody in the league – it's not going to damage your ability to make it to the postseason. Competitiveness is the key."
Eagles lock up wide receiver Smith through 2028
The Philadelphia Eagles locked up wide receiver DeVonta Smith through the 2028 season on Monday.
Philadelphia exercised its fifth-year option on Smith for the 2025 season and agreed to terms on a three-year contract extension that runs through 2028.
Smith’s extension is reportedly worth $75million, including $51million in guaranteed money.
Philadelphia selected Smith with the 10th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft after he won the Heisman Trophy with Alabama in 2020.
Smith was the first wide receiver to win the Heisman since Desmond Howard in 1991 and first non-quarterback or running back to capture the honour since cornerback Charles Woodson in 1997.
Smith has caught 240 passes for 3,178 yards and 19 touchdowns in 50 regular-season games while adding 27 receptions for 405 yards and a TD catch in five postseason contests.
OJ Simpson: Cherished star whose fall from grace was seen live by millions on TV
From cherished American superstar to villain whose murder trial captivated a global audience, OJ Simpson’s fall from grace was startling.
Simpson, nicknamed ‘The Juice’, has died at the age of 76 after losing his battle with prostate cancer, leaving behind four children.
Before the low-speed car chase by police and ‘Trial of the Century’ that began the unravelling of his reputation, Simpson was a darling of American sport who had also carved out a successful acting career.
He was raised in a low income neighbourhood in San Francisco and joined a local gang but his athleticism offered a route out and he found his purpose in gridiron.
A prolific running back, he starred for USC and in 1968 won the Heisman Trophy awarded to the outstanding player in college football. Inevitably, he was first overall draught pick the following year.
Progress in his first couple of seasons at the Buffalo Bills was slow but his impact grew and he went on to become one of the most successful operators in his position, winning the NFL’s most valuable player in 1973 and being inducted into the hall of fame in 1985.
He became the game’s highest paid player and lucrative commercial deals also followed as companies looked to leverage his charisma and popularity, while his acting career included parts in blockbusters ‘Towering Inferno’ and ‘The Naked Gun’.
For all his film presence he was little known outside the United States but that changed for all the wrong reasons when he was arrested in 1994 for the murder of his former wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ronald Goldman.
Brown and Goldman had been found stabbed to death in LA and once police had filed charges, Simpson refused to turn himself in and was pursued in an extraordinary car chase that was at low speed because he had a gun pointed to his head.
The event was televised live to millions and projected his notoriety worldwide, with the broadcasting of his subsequent murder trial only intensifying interest in this fallen star.
He was acquitted the following year but a civil lawsuit found him liable for the deaths, resulting in an order to pay £26.7million pounds to the victims of the families. Only a fraction of that amount was actually paid.
Arrests followed for a variety of offences in the early 2000s and his lowest point eventually came in 2007 when he was charged with armed robbery and kidnapping.
He served nine of a 33-year jail sentence and upon his release he continued to live in Las Vegas, looking increasingly frail when in public but active on social media. Simpson always maintained his innocence of the murders.
OJ Simpson dies aged 76
OJ Simpson has died of cancer at the age of 76.
Simpson was a running back for the Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers from 1969 to 1979, before being acquitted of murder in a trial in the mid-1990s.
News of Simpson’s death was announced by his children on his X account.
“On April 10th, our father, Orenthal James Simpson, succumbed to his battle with cancer,” read a statement.
“He was surrounded by his children and grandchildren. During this time of transition, his family asks that you please respect their wishes for privacy and grace. -The Simpson Family”
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