Inside: Readers pick the destination for a non-U.S. NFL team, plus Mike Sando revisits Dak Prescott’s 2026 QB Tier ranking and we have an exclusive Aaron Glenn interview. Only 21 days till kickoff!
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NFL’s international franchise ideas
Not once in the 100-plus years since Jim Thorpe was elected the first president of the American Professional Football Association (which then became the National Football League) has an NFL team been based outside the United States.
Could that change? I’m skeptical, given how well the 32-team, eight-division format works (not to mention the difficulties around time zones, taxes and travel). But Roger Goodell expects it, as we mentioned yesterday.
“At some point, there will be NFL teams outside the USA,” Goodell said to a German broadcaster. “I have no doubt that this will happen one day.”
Inspired, many of you shared ideas for a team outside America. These 20 were the most notable, either popular (the first 10) or unique (Nos. 11-20).
London is the obvious top choice. Kevin T. and Mark L. (plus many, many others) point out the NFL-ready stadium, a growing number of U.S. citizens in town (about 70,000) and London’s international presence. It’s also a six-hour flight from the East Coast, only slightly longer than the flight from New York to Los Angeles.
Mexico City was the second-most popular. Ryan B. explains why it’s a fit:
“Mexico City established it has the infrastructure capabilities (during the World Cup). There wouldn’t be a major time difference, and naming them the Aztecs would be a good tribute to Mexican history and provides for awesome merch.”
Most were logical. The third option, Toronto, makes plenty of sense. Volker H.’s Frankfurt Galaxy point was well taken. And I admired the thought put into the Helsinki Thunderstones, complete with team uniform colors and a “Sisu!” cheer.
Many made me laugh. Everyone who explained the London Red Coats, Toronto Tariffs, Ruben G.’s Hail Mary-heavy team from the Vatican. The most surprisingly justified was Rob B., who suggested Iceland’s Reykjavík Eyjafjallajökulls, which Google tells me is pronounced “EY-uh-fyat-lah-YOH-kuhtls”:
“Listening to Pat McAfee try to pronounce this would be comedy gold. Logistically, the flight to Iceland is two hours shorter than to Munich. And all the fans in Cleveland, Chicago, KC, and elsewhere will soon be deprived of proper outdoor games. Iceland’s capital offers a true Ice Bowl every time the Eyjafjallajökulls host a game.”
The World League of American Football failed to pave the way for a full-fledged franchise. Same story with NFL Europe. Yet a non-American team might be more realistic than we realize.
The NFL added six expansion franchises between 1976 and 2002. It has now been 24 years without one, the longest span without adding a team.
Perhaps the Tristan da Cunha Explorers? Jack B. suggested that “the American football market in Tristan da Cunha is untapped.” For those unfamiliar, Tristan da Cunha is the world’s most remote inhabited island with a population of 221 people. Think: Chargers fans at home games.
Over to Mike Sando, whom I asked a simple question: What surprised you most about this year’s QB Tiers?
Sando’s Pick: Dak Prescott comp
Dak Prescott jumping up five spots to No. 7 in our 2026 QB Tiers was the biggest surprise to me. Was there something we didn’t know about Prescott already after his first decade in the league? Where was this new information coming from?
Prescott himself was feeling it, talking openly about the Super Bowl, which got me thinking: Has any quarterback in the Super Bowl era reached one for the first time after so many seasons with the same team? (Prescott has been with Dallas since it drafted him in 2016.)
Setting aside Johnny Unitas and Bart Starr, who played in championship games before the Super Bowl existed, there’s only one comp for Prescott: Ken Anderson.
Anderson was a two-time Pro Bowler with an 0-2 postseason record through his first 10 NFL seasons, all with the Bengals. Then, in 1981, Anderson won MVP honors under a new coordinator (Lindy Infante) and led Cincinnati to its first Super Bowl appearance (a 26-21 loss to Joe Montana’s 49ers).
Prescott, like Anderson way back when, is entering his 11th season. He has a relatively new play caller (second-year head coach Brian Schottenheimer) and some of the best weaponry in the league, led by CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens.
Like you, we’ll believe it when we see it.
(For those wondering, Matthew Stafford reached the Super Bowl for the first time in his 13th season, but only after leaving the Lions for the Rams.)
Back to you, Jacob.
Aaron Glenn’s plan
It was never going to be easy for head coach Aaron Glenn. He also didn’t make things easier on himself.
The Jets haven’t made the postseason since Rex Ryan’s fourth-quarter comeback came up short in the 2010 AFC Championship Game. Glenn hoped to change that last season by becoming the first Jets coach since 2015 with more than seven wins.
It wasn’t all his fault. “He had a good plan as a first-year head coach. There were a lot of other factors,” said one coach who worked with Glenn last season. “I don’t have anything against A.G. I think he was stuck in a tough situation.”
Star defensive tackle Quinnen Williams was sent to Dallas, and cornerback Sauce Gardner went to Indy. But Glenn was also part of the group that bet on Justin Fields at quarterback.
“I’m not here to make any excuses like that,” Glenn said in a rare sit-down interview with my colleague Jonathan Jones.
The Jets averaged 17.6 points per game, struggling in losses to the playoff-bound Broncos and Panthers despite holding each to 13 points. The defense had its own issues, ranking 31st in points against and 25th in yards allowed.
The 2025 Jets made league history as the first team without an interception and the first to lose five straight games by 23 or more points. They were outscored by an average of 11.9 points per game, the worst mark in the league.
So the team pivoted, firing 10-plus coaches and reshuffling the roster, including the quarterback.
“When you have a vision for something, and as you execute it — sometimes you got to pivot,” Glenn said. “And I think the toughest people, just in general, are the ones that are not afraid to pivot and not afraid of what anybody else will say on the outside. Because if you don’t pivot, you crash and burn.”
Unfortunately for Glenn, crashing and burning is usually how Jets coaches go down. He wants to change that, starting with … a better relationship with the media?
Extra Points
👀 Seven quarterbacks are listed in Nick Baumgardner’s top 50 prospects for the 2027 draft. How many should the Jets draft?
💔 Chargers update. Offseason signing Tyler Biadasz was supposed to bring stability to the Chargers’ center position. He was instead carted off from yesterday’s practice. Not good.
📊 NFL projections. The Broncos land outside the playoff picture in Austin Mock’s AFC projections. “I keep coming back to Bo Nix,” Mock said. “Last year, the QB ranked outside of the top 20 in both EPA per dropback and dropback success rate when adjusting for opponent.”
🏟 Cleveland’s $2.6 billion home. The future Browns stadium is a good idea, writes Jason Lloyd, and is promised as something for fans. “Prices will reveal how sincere that promise truly is.”
↩️ Christian McCaffrey could return to practice soon, per coach Kyle Shanahan. The star running back has missed practice with an unexplained “tightness,” not a contract dispute.
▶️ Most-clicked: Jeremiyah Love’s spin move was the most-clicked for a fourth straight day! We’re closing in on a record here, with six as the mark to beat (remember when the Colts were in punt formation on first down? And it worked?).
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