{"id":509462,"date":"2025-10-18T13:03:21","date_gmt":"2025-10-18T13:03:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/509462\/"},"modified":"2025-10-18T13:03:21","modified_gmt":"2025-10-18T13:03:21","slug":"nfl-in-london-whirlwind-trades-revenue-rewards-and-early-bedtimes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/509462\/","title":{"rendered":"NFL in London: Whirlwind trades, revenue rewards and early bedtimes"},"content":{"rendered":"

Strange things happen when NFL teams play in London. Greg Newsome II had never been to England before this month. Now he\u2019s preparing for his second game across the pond in 15 days.<\/p>\n

The cornerback, the 26th overall pick of the 2021 draft, played every defensive snap for the Cleveland Browns during their defeat against the Minnesota Vikings at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Following his trade to the Jacksonville Jaguars<\/a>, he will face the Los Angeles Rams at Wembley Stadium on Sunday.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe got back Monday, we had practice Wednesday. I was just playing 2K (the NBA video game) with my guys. And then I got a call,\u201d Newsome told The Athletic. \u201cMy agent told me to call him around 10 pm. And that\u2019s when he told me, like, \u2018You might get traded to the Jags.\u2019 He\u2019s like, \u2018Just keep your phone on you.\u2019 And then I got the official call.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen Coach (Liam Coen) called me, he said, \u2018You ready to go back to London?\u2019 That was one of the first things he said. It was hilarious. But I was like, \u2018Wow, we really are going back to London\u2026’\u201d<\/p>\n

Newsome is not the first player to play two games in London for two different teams in the same season. In 2017, Adrian Peterson played for the New Orleans Saints and was traded to the Arizona Cardinals. Two years later, cornerback Gareon Conley was an Oakland Raider at the start of October and a Houston Texan by November. Running back Latavius Murray played for both New Orleans and the Denver Broncos in October 2022. But none has had such a quick return.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n Adrian Peterson became the first player to play twice in London in the same season for different teams at Twickenham in 2017. (Steven Paston \/ PA Images via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

By now an expert on transatlantic travel, Newsome touched down on Thursday with Cleveland and Tuesday with Jacksonville.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first time I came out here, I got a good blueprint of what to do, how to get my body ready. So this time around was obviously a lot easier. This time, I feel great. I don\u2019t think my body fully adjusted from getting back and now it\u2019s back here. My body\u2019s just kind of been everywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

What are his top tips for quick acclimatization<\/a>?<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first day you get here, you just try to stay up. It\u2019s the hardest thing to do, but that\u2019s what I did the first time. I was asleep by 9 pm. And you\u2019ve also got to take some magnesium. It helps keep your body asleep. You\u2019re still going to be tired, obviously, but right now, I feel amazing. I feel like I\u2019m from here now,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n Greg Newsome lines up against the Seattle Seahawks at Everbank Stadium before a swift return to England. (Logan Bowles \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

While Newsome will appear at two stadiums, both trips have been based at the same hotel. As nominal home teams, the Browns and the Jaguars stayed at The Grove, a luxury 300-acre resort about 18 miles west of central London.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not the same room,\u201d he says. \u201cI know the ins and outs. I know how to get to pretty much everything.\u201d<\/p>\n

And Newsome will also rely on some locals for support in the stadium.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy sister\u2019s husband is from Ascot (a town 25 miles west of London). So when I played for the Browns, I had, like, 45 tickets. I had a whole crew with Newsome jerseys on.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I\u2019ve got some people coming back,\u201d he said of Sunday\u2019s game.<\/p>\n

No team has played in London more than Newsome\u2019s new team. Since their first overseas game in 2013, the Jaguars have never landed with a winning record, and are now 2-10 the week before playing in England. Having played back-to-back games in 2023 and 2024, the Jags are 7-6 in London.<\/p>\n

Perhaps it is off the field where the advantage truly shows. The Jaguars have staged their annual Wembley game independently of the NFL since 2022. They set ticket prices and take all gate receipts, merchandise and food. In 2022, franchise president Mark Lamping told ESPN that the London game was worth 10-15 percent of the team\u2019s annual revenue.<\/p>\n

Quarterback Trevor Lawrence<\/a> recorded his first victory in the NFL at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium against Miami in 2021. At Wembley on 2024, Parker Washington recorded the longest play of his career and London game history \u2014 a 96-yard punt return against the New England Patriots.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n Parker Washington (No. 11) celebrates his score with teammates at Wembley Stadium. (Richard Heathcote \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was just a cool moment,\u201d Washington told The Athletic. \u201cThat was my first punt return touchdown ever \u2014 as long as I\u2019ve been playing football.\u201d<\/p>\n

Washington, who was drafted in 2023, looks forward to the annual excursion. \u201cMy family come over here every year, so this is like their favorite trip. They talk about it as soon as it ends, they\u2019re like they\u2019re already planning for the next one!\u201d<\/p>\n

Some players scored their first touchdown in London, such as Vikings receiver Jalen Nailor in 2022. Others have made their debuts, including Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel. It meant his Hawaii-based parents missed his big day.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, fun fact \u2014 I need to get my dad a passport,\u201d Gabriel told reporters the Friday before the game.<\/p>\n

The Jaguars played back-to-back games in London in 2023 (2-0) and 2024 (1-1). The Vikings became the first team to play in two different countries, flying to London to play Cleveland following a defeat to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Dublin.<\/p>\n

But arrival time remains an enigma<\/a>, with no set formula to follow to guarantee success. In the main, this year has seen teams revert to lengthier stays \u2014 the Vikings and Broncos arrived on Monday, the Jets and Jaguars on Tuesday and the Browns on Thursday.<\/p>\n

Aside from the Jaguars\u2019 late arrival last year due to Hurricane Milton<\/a>,\u00a0no team has left it as late as the Los Angeles Rams. After their week six win over the Baltimore Ravens, the Rams stayed on the East Coast and used Camden Yards as their facility all week. They flew out on Friday to land in England the day before the game.<\/p>\n

\n

Beautiful day at the ballpark. pic.twitter.com\/Y0gJ752EdQ<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) October 17, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cGuys are excited about this business trip that we have but it\u2019s been a good week for a team camaraderie that\u2019s organically unfolded. It\u2019s been about the week of preparation and guys have done a great job,\u201d Rams head coach Sean McVay said on Friday. Like the Jaguars, the Rams have a week eight bye.<\/p>\n

The Colts were the first team not to take a bye after playing in London in 2016. This season, the Broncos opted not to take a bye and will be the first team to host a Pacific or Mountain Time Zone game a week after playing in London.<\/p>\n

The Rams have played in London before (once from their previous home in St. Louis), and are 2-2. Under McVay, they have won their past two visits in 2017 and 2019. Next year, the Rams are bringing the NFL to a new continent, playing in Australia<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The NFL has tried many gimmicks in London. From fan rallies on London\u2019s Regent Street to moving the entire Dallas Cowboys roster to a soggy Trafalgar Square the day before their game against the Jaguars in 2014, fans have seen it all in the fall.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n The NFL hosted a fan rally on Regent Street each year between 2013 and 2018. (Harry Engels \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

There have been sackings too. The Athletic\u2019s Michael Silver covered many of the regime changes<\/a> that have occurred after things did not go to plan, but there remain several peculiarities and statistical quirks associated with transatlantic games.<\/p>\n

Aside from the Jags, who have been annual visitors since 2013 (Covid-19 season aside), the Dolphins (1-4) and Vikings (5-0) have played the most games in London. The Green Bay Packers were the last of the 32 franchises to play in the English capital. Like the Cowboys, the Pittsburgh Steelers, Kansas City Chiefs, Washington Commanders, Indianapolis Colts, Arizona Cardinals, Philadelphia Eagles, Carolina Panthers, Houston Texans and the Packers have only played in London once. The San Francisco 49ers, who hold international marketing rights in the UK, were last seen in London in 2013.<\/p>\n

There have been low-scoring slug-fests, one-sided routs (few could forget Jacksonville\u2019s 44-7 win over Baltimore in 2017, especially John Harbaugh) and the odd high-scoring shootout. And a miraculous comeback \u2014 the Atlanta Falcons were 21-0 up at half-time and lost 22-21 against the Detroit Lions in 2015. Heck, there\u2019s even been a tie, with Washington and Cincinnati going 27-27 in 2016.<\/p>\n

There is no level playing field like a foreign field, it appears.<\/p>\n