Las Vegas Raiders

[Defender]

Logistically, what if the UK Jags started and ended their seasons with 4 road games. Then each home game could be on Thursday, with each visiting team coming off of a bye. This would give visiting teams 1.5 weeks before and after the game in the UK to adjust to UK-time and adjust back. The Jags could have a week 5 bye (bye before first home game because of short week and time change).

Then the only issue is playoff games?

[TheSpidersFromMars]

A team based out of London would be ridiculous - I hope it never happens.

I wouldn't mind the Raiders going to Vegas.

Being Canadian; I'm much more likely to travel to Vegas than Oakland..

of all the people on this board youre the last i would have guessed was canadian.

[Phaded]

A team based out of London would be ridiculous - I hope it never happens.

I wouldn't mind the Raiders going to Vegas.

Being Canadian; I'm much more likely to travel to Vegas than Oakland..

of all the people on this board youre the last i would have guessed was canadian.

I have no idea how to take that. lol

[TomBobAnderson]

The only way the move to the UK would work is if they had a whole division over there. UK, France, Germany and Spain. It would just create more problems though because taxes in Europe are so much higher than in the U.S. No players are going to want to play there. Unless they gave that division a higher salary cap so they can compete for free agents. Also what will happen if either the dollar, the euro, or the pound devaluates greatly? It definitely would cause problems with the players. Last but not least, how will preseason work out? Will the teams camp out in the U.S? Nobody will want to travel to Europe just for preseason games. But then that means that the European fans won't be able to go to preseason practices and miss out on stuff like that. My head hurts just typing all this out. I have no idea how the NFL will do this... Just wait though, in 20 years the NFL will try to move into Asia

[ericanadian]

The only way the move to the UK would work is if they had a whole division over there. UK, France, Germany and Spain. It would just create more problems though because taxes in Europe are so much higher than in the U.S. No players are going to want to play there. Unless they gave that division a higher salary cap so they can compete for free agents. Also what will happen if either the dollar, the euro, or the pound devaluates greatly? It definitely would cause problems with the players. Last but not least, how will preseason work out? Will the teams camp out in the U.S? Nobody will want to travel to Europe just for preseason games. But then that means that the European fans won't be able to go to preseason practices and miss out on stuff like that. My head hurts just typing all this out. I have no idea how the NFL will do this... Just wait though, in 20 years the NFL will try to move into Asia

I doubt the UK taxes are any worse than California.

[bruiser]

I doubt the UK taxes are any worse than California.

I think this is close. I've been skeptical of the pre-draft antics of players/agents to sway California teams away from drafting players. I am curious to see how many times a player manipulates his draft position to get drafted to Texas or Florida (no taxes).

I could be totally off base if players are taxed on individual games played on the road.

[Pac_Eddy]

I think this is close. I've been skeptical of the pre-draft antics of players/agents to sway California teams away from drafting players. I am curious to see how many times a player manipulates his draft position to get drafted to Texas or Florida (no taxes).

I could be totally off base if players are taxed on individual games played on the road.

Players are taxed based on where the games are played, so Texas and Florida teams pay no income tax for their home games. Some counties in those states have sales tax rates as high as 9% though.

[Dookmarriot]

The only way the move to the UK would work is if they had a whole division over there. UK, France, Germany and Spain. It would just create more problems though because taxes in Europe are so much higher than in the U.S. No players are going to want to play there. Unless they gave that division a higher salary cap so they can compete for free agents. Also what will happen if either the dollar, the euro, or the pound devaluates greatly? It definitely would cause problems with the players. Last but not least, how will preseason work out? Will the teams camp out in the U.S? Nobody will want to travel to Europe just for preseason games. But then that means that the European fans won't be able to go to preseason practices and miss out on stuff like that. My head hurts just typing all this out. I have no idea how the NFL will do this... Just wait though, in 20 years the NFL will try to move into Asia

As an aside, one of my favourite anecdotes regarding the WLAF was an article in Sports Illustrated, where Jamie Martin, QB for the Amsterdam Admirals - Amsterdam, global centre for commerce and culture - lamented having to play "in the middle of nowhere." Martin went to Weber State, in Ogden, Utah.

[rubber_duck]

Okay, I know the NFL has been trying to plant a team in London. But wouldn't the Mexico City Jaguars be a much more reasonable option? I've been told that the NFL has a huge fan base south of the boarder.

[Jason]

Okay, I know the NFL has been trying to plant a team in London. But wouldn't the Mexico City Jaguars be a much more reasonable option? I've been told that the NFL has a huge fan base south of the boarder.

I just have this ridiculous mental image regarding Mexico of nothing but poor people begging and robbing tourists and drug cartels running rampant, with random extravagant resorts sprinkled in amongst the major cities.

It can't be as bad as that but maybe that's why lol.

[jcc6fd]

The only way the move to the UK would work is if they had a whole division over there. UK, France, Germany and Spain. It would just create more problems though because taxes in Europe are so much higher than in the U.S. No players are going to want to play there. Unless they gave that division a higher salary cap so they can compete for free agents. Also what will happen if either the dollar, the euro, or the pound devaluates greatly? It definitely would cause problems with the players. Last but not least, how will preseason work out? Will the teams camp out in the U.S? Nobody will want to travel to Europe just for preseason games. But then that means that the European fans won't be able to go to preseason practices and miss out on stuff like that. My head hurts just typing all this out. I have no idea how the NFL will do this... Just wait though, in 20 years the NFL will try to move into Asia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vactrain

Maybe the distance element will be solved by Jetson/Futurama style tubes that shoot us from London to New York in an hour

[Shoreline Steamers]

Logistically, what if the UK Jags started and ended their seasons with 4 road games. Then each home game could be on Thursday, with each visiting team coming off of a bye. This would give visiting teams 1.5 weeks before and after the game in the UK to adjust to UK-time and adjust back. The Jags could have a week 5 bye (bye before first home game because of short week and time change).

Then the only issue is playoff games?

Wait...We're still talking about the Jaguars, right?

On topic, I don't have an issue with the team relocating if the owner's approve the move. Davis has been haggling with the city of Oakland for some time now over a stadium deal. Much the same way as Kroenke was in St. Louis and, Spanos is in San Diego. With the Chargers looking likely to lose their initiative to finance a new stadium, I think you'll see the Rams and Chargers sharing a building in LA akin to what the Giants/Jets do in New York.

And Mark Davis will get his wish and we'll have the Las Vegas Raiders ready to roll by 2019.

[Cult of Dionysus]

Think a London-based team would have a fairly robust US-based training / practice facility where the team could spend a few weeks while doing a set of road games. This, along with some smarting scheduling, should make the travel aspects not too difficult. Of course, a London-based team should be in the AFC East, where its division rivals are in the North East. AFC South is just not good, as teams are an extra hour to three hours beyond the East Coast (think Houston, Nashville and Indy).

Jags could switch with Miami, who is anyway mis-placed.

[TomBobAnderson]

Think a London-based team would have a fairly robust US-based training / practice facility where the team could spend a few weeks while doing a set of road games. This, along with some smarting scheduling, should make the travel aspects not too difficult. Of course, a London-based team should be in the AFC East, where its division rivals are in the North East. AFC South is just not good, as teams are an extra hour to three hours beyond the East Coast (think Houston, Nashville and Indy).

Jags could switch with Miami, who is anyway mis-placed.

Nah there are too many rivalries in the AFC East, just like the NFC East (Where Dallas makes no sense). Miami is the only team that actually beats the Patriots from time to time in that division.

[Dookmarriot]

Another lifelong Canadian Raiders fan here. I'm really torn about this...this is a team that mirrors its community so well (although as an occasional visitor it seems to me that the Oakland of today is considerably different than the Oakland of 70's yore) and it would be a true shame if they left the Black Hole. And it really does seem ridiculous to leave a big US market for a relatively tiny one - although I can say from experience that Oakland Alemeda is a hideous stadium for football and for baseball. And probably for anything else.

That said, if the Raiders have to move, in keeping with the team image it should be somewhere with a sleazy vibe - if in reputation at least - and Vegas fits the bill. I can easily imagine Snake, Stork and Rooster and the gang riding down the strip on motorcycles and closing down the Flamingo.