It’s been 20 years since the NFL last expanded, giving Houston the Texans after the Oilers moved to Nashville and became the Tennessee Titans. One could argue that the league is due to add another team or two, especially with the following. Whether a jilted city or someplace new, these are the most realistic cities for NFL expansion.
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is one of the best sports towns in the United States. They are crazy about their Cardinals and Blues and loathe Stan Kroenke for taking away their beloved Rams. It’s been six seasons since the billionaire mogul headed west to Los Angeles, leaving the fanbase high and dry. The city must be hungry for football again, particularly after the Rams won the Super Bowl this past season.
Austin, Texas
Adding another team to a state that already has two (Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans) may be overkill. However, Austin is the capital of the biggest state in the lower 48, and it’s one of the fastest-growing, interesting cities in the country. The only issue with Austin getting a football team is they may not even want one. “Keep Austin Weird” is hard to accomplish if one of the biggest popular and corrupt establishments invades your turf.
Salt Lake City, Utah
There is plenty of open ground west of the Mississippi, with Salt Lake City edging out Portland as the most intriguing. Portland and Austin are similar in many aspects, so housing an NFL team there could cause some issues, leaving Salt Lake City.
If you can host the Olympics, you should have no issues having a football team. Salt Lake City is larger than most people know, and there would be more than enough supporters to sustain an NFL club there.
Utah boasts several popular college football teams, so a Salt Lake franchise would also draw supporters from neighboring states where the Denver Broncos fans have a stranglehold while the Las Vegas Raiders are gaining ground.
Toronto, Ontario
In the not-so-secret ways, the NFL’s goal is to expand the game globally. It is the one league of the four major sports that doesn’t have a team outside of the United States. The NBA has the Toronto Raptors, MLB has the Toronto Blue Jays, and the NHL has many teams from our friends up north. So it will be no surprise if the NFL sticks a team in Toronto or Vancouver if it expands.
London, England
Across the pond in London Town has and will continue to be the most obvious destination the NFL wants to explore. It keeps dipping its toes in the water by having multiple games there a season. And who doesn’t love keeping tabs on your fantasy team when you’re having your morning cup of joe? London will get a team by expansion or relocation, but it’s apparent how important this is to Roger Goodell and the company.
Surely, everyone who lives in a city that doesn’t have a team wishes they were a part of the most realistic cities for NFL expansion. Unfortunately, it doesn’t make much sense for everyone clamoring for a team.
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