NFL UK boss Henry Hodgson believes Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence can step up to become an international face of the league following Tom Brady’s retirement.
The Jaguars are essentially London’s adopted NFL franchise, with the team set to enjoy their 10th season crossing the Atlantic to play in regular season matches. However, their turf is now somewhat contested following the exciting implementation of International Home Marketing Areas (IHMA) around the world.
This means six teams who already hold strong fanbases in the United Kingdom have been assigned to the region: the Chicago Bears, Miami Dolphins, San Francisco 49ers, New York Jets, Minnesota Vikings, and Jaguars. Amid a year of exciting international growth, NFL UK general manager Hodgson hopes to see Lawrence continue to develop - alongside other stars on the HMA teams - to become the face of the NFL on an international basis.
“You need a face and the NFL is at a pretty interesting moment, both internationally and domestically,” Hodgson exclusively told Mirror Sport in Phoenix, Arizona ahead of Super Bowl LVII. “Tom Brady’s just retired. Tom Brady was the face of the NFL for all intents and purposes for a long time, certainly internationally.
“If you asked the average international sports fan to name an NFL player, Brady will be the first name so there’s maybe a bit of a void in that regard. Sunday’s Super Bowl might help decide the future face between those two quarterbacks, but if Trevor Lawrence continues developing presumably over the next 10-plus years, he has a great shot to be the guy most fans are familiar with - especially for people in the UK.”
The Jaguars have established themselves as London’s de facto team through a carefully planned strategy which has seen the Florida franchise come to play in London on an annual basis. Hodgson confirmed the partnership between the team and the NFL UK body is stronger than ever.
“We work very closely together,” Hodgson said of the relationship between NFL UK and the Jaguars. “We have very similar goals, so we work hand in hand with them. It makes our job easier when we have a team like them and the other HMA clubs who are trying to activate and help us grow. It only benefits each of us to be working together.”
While NFL commissioner Roger Goodell suggested a Super Bowl could be staged in London, such a proposition is realistically far from reality. Could we see a Jaguars home game in the UK, though?
“Playoff games are really difficult because the planning that goes into for our games in London is insane,” Hodgson said. “It’s obviously something that as you look at the possibility of a future team, that’s one of the biggest issues we need to overcome at least from a logistics standpoint. Imagine the Jags win in Week 18 and that means they are hosting a playoff game in London six days later. That’s quite a turnaround.”
The 2022 International Series was particularly memorable, with Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeating the Seattle Seahawks in the inaugural regular season game held in Germany at Bayern Munich’s Allianz Arena. On top of that, the Green Bay Packers finally became the final NFL franchise to play in London when they lost to the New York Giants.
Hodgson will fondly look back on this past season, but his eyes are firmly fixed on what comes next. The upcoming 2023 season will see three matches in London and two in Germany, with the likes of Patrick Mahomes’ Kansas City Chiefs and Josh Allen’s Buffalo Bills set to play in Europe.
“Looking back, 2022 was exciting. The Packers completed the set for us as the 32nd team to play here. We set new records for attendance in London - both at Tottenham and at Wembley, with the Jags game - and we set the viewership record.
“It’s incredibly positive, and Munich was was an amazing event. It’s really great to see Germany have two games in 2023, plus we're really excited with the three games that we've got in London. The Jags are playing for the 10th year in a row in the UK, showing their commitment to growing in the country.
“Last year was great, but I’m equally excited about what we’ve got coming in 2023.”
