$5.6bn NFL team’s 150-mile relocation triggers unique rule exemption amid CBA conflict

The NFL is playing a record nine international games in 2026 — a mark that is likely to last just one season.

Per multiple reports, owners are set to vote on adding another two games in 2027 at the league meeting in Orlando.

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The Collective Bargaining Agreement has a limit of ten international fixtures, but there is a provision for teams unable to play at their regular home.

Shad Khan’s Jacksonville Jaguars will play at Camping World Stadium in Orlando next season, and have already agreed to allocate one home game to London’s Wembley Stadium.

The 144-mile southward relocation will create a record short road trip for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers next season.

Khan is overseeing a massive $1.5billion project to future-proof EverBank Stadium for his $5.5bn franchise and has opened the door for the NFL to squeeze one extra international fixture out of the schedule.

Australia and France will host games for the first time in 2026, with the UK, Spain, Brazil, Germany and Mexico also involved.

Joe Burrow has always been desperate to play internationally and finally got his wish as the Cincinnati Bengals face the Atlanta Falcons in Madrid.

“Part of the reason I wanted to do the ‘Quarterback’ show, I wanted to help grow the game internationally, and so to not have a stage like that is a little disappointing,” the QB previously stated.

“Because I feel like I’ve consciously worked hard to try to grow the game internationally over the last 18 months or so.

“So hopefully at some point in my career we can go over there.”

But not every player is on board, especially with the looming prospect of a Week 18 hanging over the next CBA discussions — set to take place in 2031.

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J.J. Watt slams international series

Houston Texans icon J.J. Watt thinks things have gone to far.

“International game slate is nearing the realm of traveling circus as opposed occasional showcase,” he wrote on X.

His words are likely to fall on deaf ears.

NFL Executive VP Hans Schroeder said that the nine international games were a major focus after the schedule release.

“We know all 272 match-ups, we know what the next year’s going to look like with every team, who everybody’s playing,” Schroeder said.

“A key area is the league’s continued global expansion, and our most ever, nine games played outside the United States.”

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More and better games are being offered up as part of commissioner Roger Goodell’s global push.

Melbourne landed a divisional showdown between the San Francisco 49ers and LA Rams in Melbourne is massive, while the Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens will battle it out in Brazil.

Jared Goff and Drake Maye will go head-to-head in Germany, and three of the five teams heading to London this season made the playoffs in 2025.

The Jaguars face the Houston Texans and Philadelphia Eagles, while the Indianapolis Colts — viewed as a contender until Daniel Jones went down with injury — collide with a Washington Commanders team that was within touching distance of the Super Bowl in 2024.

The league used to allow teams to block four or five home games a season from leaving the States.

That has fallen to two and may in future hit zero.

“There’s a lot of conversations about eliminating the protections in their entirety,” Mike North, NFL VP of Broadcasting Planning, revealed via Jori Epstein.

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