Few people alive know the NFL better than ESPN insider Don Van Natta Jr. So when the veteran investigative reporter predicts the league will host a Super Bowl in London in the next half-decade, it means something.
And that’s precisely what Van Natta did in a Super Bowl-week appearance on The Varsity podcast.
Van Natta — a multitime Pulitzer Prize winner and author of a forthcoming book on Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones — not only predicted that the United Kingdom will host a Super Bowl in the 2030s, he also projected that the NFL will move the Jacksonville Jaguars there even sooner.
“We know the Jaguars play every year in London; I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s the team that ends up there in a few years,” Van Natta said. “And the reward for that will be there will be a Super Bowl in London. I think you can book it sometime in the next five to seven years.”
The idea emerged after NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell confirmed the possibility of an international Super Bowl during his press conference on Feb. 3.
The NFL has played in England, Germany and Brazil in recent years. It will also play in Ireland, Australia and Spain. Thus, the idea that football is a uniquely American product may not be true for long.
With that growing popularity outside U.S. borders comes the chance for a franchise in a new country. The Jaguars are a logical fit, given that owner Shad Khan also runs the English soccer club Fulham FC and frequently holds All-Elite Wrestling events in the UK.
A Super Bowl is almost a formality once the NFL places a franchise overseas. Teams that build new stadiums in (somewhat) temperate climates almost always get a Super Bowl at some point.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.