With the NFL expanding its international game slate this season, fans and pundits have complained about overseas games seemingly at a new high rate. Last week, reports emerged that Pittsburgh Steelers players weren’t pleased about their Week 7 matchup scheduled in Paris, France.
On Sunday, Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers made it clear he’s a big fan of the international games. But he takes major issue with how the NFL schedules its games outside the United States.
Rodgers hinted at that while speaking to reporters after the Steelers defeated the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. During his postgame press conference, the quarterback also pulled the curtain behind an alternate international games proposal discussed in the last CBA negotiations.
“There was talk about doing an international week where you had games in 16 different places and you just added an extra bye week, so you played 16 regular season, you have two bye weeks, one of those weeks would have been an international week,” said Rodgers.
“I thought it would have been phenomenal for the game. Now that the owners want to push for 17 games for the extra revenue, and they care so much about player safety. But it would have been nice.”
Rodgers had an obvious sarcastic tone when he mentioned the owners caring about player safety.
The quarterback argued the league could easily find 16 places to hold international games in one week. Rodgers ensued to rattle off a list of locations he found suitable. The list included Dubai, and other countries the NFL has expanded to in recent years (France, Spain, Ireland and Brazil).
Steelers’ Aaron Rodgers Reveals Potential International Series Proposal
After laying out the proposal, which presumably came from the NFLPA, Rodgers stressed again how he wished teams could come over travel early in the week for international games. The quarterback has made that argument many times previously, including last year with the Steelers during their Ireland trip.
“I wish there was a mandate, though, from the league, and they would have to open up their pocketbooks, too, which maybe they’re a little tight on money and stuff, but I think there’s a mandate every team coming over Sunday or Monday to really enjoy the culture and the place you’re going.”
Rodgers then sarcastically explained why that’s not already a mandate.
“You can do events in those cities and outreach stuff and community work. But they won’t because they’re a little tight.”
The Steelers landed in Paris on Friday morning, just a little more than 48 hours before kickoff.
Rodgers didn’t clarify if he meant playing all 16 international games in one week. But that appeared to be what he was suggesting. While that’s an intriguing idea, it’s not surprising the NFL didn’t support the idea.
The league loves broadcasting the international series games in Europe at 9:30 am ET. It creates another television time slot, which the league will likely sell at some point to a network or streaming service. The league wouldn’t be able to do that if all international games were in the same week.
Furthermore, the bye week Rodgers included in the proposal would mean a complete week off for every team after the “international week.” It’s unlikely the league would support taking a week off in the middle of the season for international travel.
Rodgers Raves About Time in Paris
The quarterback has a beef with several aspects of the league playing games in international countries. But he still emphasized to reporters Sunday how much he loved playing in Europe both this year and last season.
“I’ve enjoyed being part of the expansion of the league, and thankful for these four international games I’ve played,” said Rodgers.
Before joining the Steelers, Rodgers played twice in London — once with the Green Bay Packers and the another with the New York Jets. That gives Rodgers an extensive and thorough international series experience.
If the league’s primary goal was to grow the game, the NFL would likely follow a lot, or all, of Rodgers’s proposal. But that’s not the league’s goal. tTe NFL wants to grow the game while maximize profits along the way.
Rodgers’s proposal wouldn’t maximize profits. The quarterback seems to understand that is why the league has the international series set up as it does.
Steelers’ Aaron Rodgers Fires Shot at NFL Over International Games