Chase Daniel says London NFL team ‘will never work’

Roger Goodell might have dreams of an NFL team calling London their home, but Chase Daniel doesn’t believe we’ll ever see it.

Daniel joined a recent episode of the Awful Announcing Podcast where he discusses his media career pivot from Fox to ESPN, among other topics, including whether a team in London can work. And Daniel, a former NFL Players Association representative, was quick to point out why it won’t happen.

“It will never work,” Daniel said. “There’s no way. There’s no way it will ever work. Think about from the perspective of travel, you would have to have a whole division over there. And if you wanted to make it work…we talked about this at the PA, you would have to have four-week road trips to the United States. So, you’re away from your family for a month at a time because you can’t go back and forth.”

But a four-team NFL division in Europe might be exactly what Goodell is seeking to make it work. In fact, former NFLPA rep Boomer Esiason predicted an NFL division could be formed in Europe as early as 2028. Although the idea of a team or division making its home in Europe probably wasn’t a discussion when he was in the PA.

If a four-team division is formed, the next problem will be convincing free agents to relocate to Europe. Because even Daniel, who was never given a real opportunity to be a starting quarterback during his 14-year career, said he would have had no interest in signing with a team in Europe.

“Hell no. I would never go over there. Have you seen the tax rate?” asked Daniel, who lives in California. “People love their money. Unless you’re single and you’re a specialist and you have no kids, those are the people that would want to stay over there.”

There are many potential roadblocks to putting one or more teams in Europe, even beyond the challenge of luring free agents across the Atlantic. Imagine a draft pick from Boise State learning they’re moving to Germany. Or what about the possibility that a West Coast team could have to travel to Europe for a playoff game.

Still, never say never. Because if enough billionaires are interested in spending billions on teams in Europe, Goodell and the NFL will do everything in their power to get it approved by the Players Association.

Listen to the full episode of the Awful Announcing Podcast featuring Chase Daniel and subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts. For more content, subscribe to AA’s YouTube page.