The NFL has not so subtly been interested in expanding the league to international markets with games in London, Munich, Frankfurt, Toronto, Tokyo and Mexico City in the past.
If the league wishes to eventually expand internationally, they have two routes, one seeing a franchise like the Carolina Panthers, Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars or other previously rumored teams they’ve considered moving. Or, they could go a simpler route.
The simple route is to just add two more teams, making it 34 total, which is a move that would certainly make the league and its owners more money. The NFL would also likely consider a realignment to make the divisions more travel-friendly, but that’s for another day.
Let’s take a look at a hypothetical expansion.
Mexico City Caracaras
The first team added would be Mexico City, the Caracaras, or otherwise known as the Golden Eagles, which is Mexico’s national bird.
Mexico is estimated to have 22 million NFL fans, and it would be easy for travel for most teams. The Caracaras would be in the NFC West with the San Francisco 49ers, Arizona Cardinals, Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks.
The fan interest would already be there, and all of those teams would have an opportunity to come to Mexico City at least once every year.
London Monarchs
London is probably the most likely European expansion as the NFL has been hosting games more frequently in attempts to win over the estimated 15 million American football fans.
They would need a rebrand, as their logo and uniforms might not be a huge hit in the modern NFL. However, The NFL has proven that travel is possible for multiple teams to play in London, and televising the games would give us football consistently around 10:00 a.m. on the east coast during London home games.
London would likely avoid a ton of west coast games, as those would have to take place early to account for international viewers, but that is a bridge you cross when you get to it. (No London Bridge pun intended)
Expansion rules
The NFL would likely look at the last time they expanded, when they added the Houston Texans in 2002.
The Monarchs and Caracaras would be thrown into a lottery to determine who gets the first pick and who gets the second pick in the upcoming NFL draft. Then all other teams will slot down by record, like usual with the Super Bowl winner picking 34th overall.
Prior to the (let’s use 2024) NFL draft, each team would name five players to be selected (we will go over who later).
Both expansion teams would take turns selecting players, inverse of who has the better pick in the 2023 draft. In this scenario, the Caracaras were awarded the first overall selection. So the Monarchs are allowed to choose their veteran players first.
There are some rules to these selections. Each team is required to select at least 30 players from the 160 made available.
If a player is taken from a club, they can remove one player from the list, and if two players are taken, the club can revoke the remaining players off the list. But they are not required to do so.
The teams cannot put punters or kickers on the list or players that were on injured reserve the season prior (ending on IR is ok in our scenario if at least 12 games were played). They also can only put one veteran with more than 10 years of league experience. UFAs typically do not count, but since the offseason just ended and teams either cut the easy cap casualties, created room with extensions, or added new players, it really lowers the pool available.
Both teams will assume the contract fully of players they select, and players selected received $10,000 immediately, an additional $20,000 bonus for reporting to training camp, and another $30,000 for making the active roster during the regular season.
Draft eligible list
In this scenario, we went ahead and added five players based on the above rules to be selected by the Caracaras and the Monarchs. This is based off of what we know today, which means some stars may be on the move.
The Monarchs will go first, but they’d go second in the NFL entry draft and vice versa for the Caracaras.
Arizona Cardinals:
- TE Zach Ertz
- EDGE Dennis Gardeck
- RB James Conner
- OG Hjalte Froholdt
- LT D.J. Humphries
Atlanta Falcons:
- LT Jake Matthews
- TE Jonnu Smith
- WR Mack Hollins
- EDGE Bud Dupree
- CB Darren Hall
Baltimore Ravens
- WR Devin Duvernay
- EDGE Tyus Bowser
- RB Justice Hill
- QB Josh Johnson
- WR James Proche
Buffalo Bills
- CB Taron Johnson
- WR Deonte Harty
- CB Siran Neal
- OT Spencer Brown
- OT Brandon Shell
Carolina Panthers
- DT Shy Tuttle
- QB Andy Dalton
- CB Donte Jackson
- WR DJ Chark
- TE Ian Thomas
Chicago Bears
- RB D’Onta Foreman
- OG Cody Whitehair
- CB Kindle Vildor
- QB Nathan Peterman
- S Adrian Colbert
Cincinnati Bengals
- LT Jonah Williams
- CB Mike Hilton
- TE Tanner Hudson
- LB Akeem Davis-Gaither
- TE Devin Asiasi
Cleveland Browns
- WR Donovan Peoples-Jones
- WR Jakeem Grant
- LB Jacob Phillips
- OG Michael Dunn
- TE Harrison Bryant
Dallas Cowboys
- QB Cooper Rush
- WR Michael Gallup
- WR Simi Fehoko
- DT Neville Gallimore
- CB Nahshon Wright
Denver Broncos
- WR KJ Hamler
- WR Lil’Jordan Humphrey
- OG William Sherman
- EDGE Christopher Allen
- S Kareem Jackson
Detroit Lions
- QB Jared Goff
- EDGE Romeo Okwara
- EDGE Julian Okwara
- WR Josh Reynolds
- OG Halapoulivaati Vaitai
Green Bay Packers
- OT David Bakhtiari
- EDGE Preston Smith
- CB Keisean Nixon
- DT Jonathan Ford
- C Jake Hanson
Houston Texans
- QB Case Keenum
- OT Tytus Howard
- DT Maliek Collins
- EDGE Jerry Hughes
- CB Desmond King
Indianapolis Colts
- QB Gardner Minshew
- DT Grover Stewart
- TE Mo Allie-Cox
- RB Zack Moss
- LB Cameron McGrone
Jacksonville Jaguars
- DT Roy Robertson-Harris
- CB Darious Williams
- WR Jamal Agnew
- DT Folorunso Fatukasi
- S Rayshawn Jenkins
Kansas City Chiefs
- WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling
- RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire
- EDGE Mike Danna
- WR John Ross
- QB Chris Oladokun
Las Vegas Raiders
- EDGE Chandler Jones
- RB Brandon Bolden
- CB Nate Hobbs
- RB Austin Walter
- OT Justin Murray
Los Angeles Chargers
- WR Keenan Allen
- TE Gerald Everett
- TE Donald Parham
- RB Joshua Kelley
- S Alohi Gilman
Los Angeles Rams
- TE Hunter Long
- TE Tyler Higbee
- RB Cam Akers
- DT Jonah Williams
- WR Van Jefferson
Miami Dolphins
- CB Xavien Howard
- WR Cedrick Wilson Jr.
- TE Durham Smythe
- DT Zach Sieler
- DT Raekwon Davis
Minnesota Vikings
- CB John Reid
- S Harrison Smith
- LB Jordan Hicks
- FB CJ Ham
- DT Ross Blacklock
New England Patriots
- EDGE Ronnie Perkins
- OT Trent Brown
- S Jalen Mills
- WR Kendrick Bourne
- DT Lawrence Guy
New Orleans Saints
- OG Andrus Peat
- QB/TE Taysom Hill
- WR Michael Thomas
- WR Tre’Quan Smith
- QB Jameis Winston
New York Giants
- RB Matt Breida
- QB Tyrod Taylor
- CB Aaron Robinson
- WR Collin Johnson
- OT Matt Peart
New York Jets
- OT Duane Brown
- WR Corey Davis
- WR Denzel Mims
- TE C.J. Uzomah
- FB Nick Bawden
Philadelphia Eagles
- OG Josh Sills
- WR Quez Watkins
- QB Ian Book
- RB Kennedy Brooks
- WR Britain Covey
Pittsburgh Steelers
- QB Mitchell Trubisky
- S Elijah Riley
- DT Montravius Adams
- EDGE Quincy Roche
- S Duke Dawson
San Francisco 49ers
- S George Odum
- WR Dazz Newsome
- CB Ambry Thomas
- LB Oren Burks
- DT Javon Kinlaw
Seattle Seahawks
- S Quandre Diggs
- RB Deejay Dallas
- TE Will Dissly
- DT Bryan Mone
- TE Colby Parkinson
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- WR Russell Gage
- QB Kyle Trask
- OG Aaron Stinnie
- RB Ke’Shawn Vaughn
- EDGE Shaquil Barrett
Tennessee Titans
- QB Ryan Tannehill
- OG Daniel Brunskill
- DT Denico Autry
- LB Monty Rice
- CB Chris Jackson
Washington Commanders
- CB Danny Johnson
- TE Logan Thomas
- S Troy Apke
- OT Cornelius Lucas
- OG Aaron Monteiro
Expansion draft
Sticking with the at least 30 rule, we had each team taking the minimum and opting to fill the other 23 spots with remaining free agents, undrafted rookies, draft picks and potential trades with existing franchises.
- London Monarchs – OT David Bakhtiari
- Mexico City Caracaras – OT Jonah Williams
- London Monarchs – QB Ryan Tannehill
- Mexico City Caracaras – QB Jared Goff
- London Monarchs – CB Xavien Howard
- Mexico City Caracaras – WR Michael Gallup
- London Monarchs – DT Grover Stewart
- Mexico City Caracaras – CB Taron Johnson
- London Monarchs – WR Keenan Allen
- Mexico City Caracaras – RB Cam Akers
- London Monarchs – S Harrison Smith
- Mexico City Caracaras – WR Kendrick Bourne
- London Monarchs – WR Corey Davis
- Mexico City Caracaras – DT Javon Kinlaw
- London Monarchs – TE Will Dissly
- Mexico City Caracaras – EDGE Shaquil Barrett
- London Monarchs – EDGE Chandler Jones
- Mexico City Caracaras – CB Darious Williams
- London Monarchs – RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire
- Mexico City Caracaras – OT Tytus Howard
- London Monarchs – OG Cody Whitehair
- Mexico City Caracaras -WR Kj Hamler
- London Monarchs – DT Shy Tuttle
- Mexico City Caracaras – EDGE Tyus Bowser
- London Monarchs – OT Jake Matthews
- Mexico City Caracaras – OG Andrus Peat
- London Monarchs – OG Josh Sills
- Mexico City Caracaras – S Troy Apke
- London Monarchs – EDGE Dennis Gardeck
- Mexico City Caracaras – WR Donovan Peoples-Jones
- London Monarchs – WR Van Jefferson
- Mexico City Caracaras – DT Roy Robertson-Harris
- London Monarchs – QB Gardner Minshew
- Mexico City Caracaras – EDGE Romeo Okwara
- London Monarchs – CB Mike Hilton
- Mexico City Caracaras – QB Andy Dalton
- London Monarchs – C Jake Hanson
- Mexico City Caracaras – LB Cameron McGrone
- London Monarchs – OG Michael Dunn
- Mexico City Caracaras – OT Spencer Brown
- London Monarchs – RB Justice Hill
- Mexico City Caracaras – OG Hjalte Froholdt
- London Monarchs – CB Darren Hall
- Mexico City Caracaras – QB Case Keenum
- London Monarchs – S Rayshawn Jenkins
- Mexico City Caracaras – EDGE Mike Danna
- London Monarchs – RB Brandon Bolden
- Mexico City Caracaras – RB Joshua Kelley
- London Monarchs – LB Jacob Phillips
- Mexico City Caracaras – RB Matt Breida
- London Monarchs – QB Jameis Winston
- Mexico City Caracaras – CB Jalen Mills
- London Monarchs – OT Duane Brown
- Mexico City Caracaras – CB Aaron Robinson
- London Monarchs – DT Ross Blacklock
- Mexico City Caracaras -WR Denzel Mims
- London Monarchs – EDGE Quincy Roche
- Mexico City Caracaras – OG Daniel Brunskill
- London Monarchs – LB Oren Burks
- Mexico City Caracaras – TE Durham Smythe
New-look rosters prior to NFL draft
We’ll save the speculation to you to determine where these teams go in the draft, or how they plan to fill out the remaining roster. But after the 2023 expansion draft is over, here is how the two new teams would look on paper:
London Monarchs
QB – Tannehill, Minshew, Winston
RB – Edwards-Helaire, Hill, Bolden,
WR – Allen, Davis, Jefferson
TE – Dissly
LT – Bakhtiari, Brown
LG – Whitehair, Dunn
C – Hanson
RG – Sills
RT – Matthews
EDGE – Jones, Gardeck, Roche
DT – Stewart, Tuttle, Blacklock
LB – Phillips, Burks
CB – Howard, Hilton, Hall
S – Smith, Jenkins
Mexico City Caracaras
QB – Goff, Dalton, Keenum
RB – Akers, Kelley, Breida
WR – Gallup, Bourne, Hamler, Peoples-Jones, Mims
TE – Smythe
LT – Williams
LG – Froholdt
C –
RG – Peat, Brunskill
RT – Howard, Brown
EDGE- Barrett, Bowser, Okwara, Danna
DT- Kinlaw, Robertson-Harris
LB – McGrone,
CB – Johnson, Williams, Mills, Robinson
S – Apke
