JJ Watt has been retired for years, owns zero current stake in any of this, and still can’t help himself from being right.
International game slate is nearing the realm of traveling circus as opposed occasional showcase.
— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) May 13, 2026
“Nearing the realm of traveling circus as opposed occasional showcase.” That’s the whole thing. That’s the entire argument. Nine international games in 2026 — Melbourne, Rio, London twice, London again, Paris, Madrid, Munich, Mexico City — and the league wants you to believe this is about passion for the sport. It is not about passion for the sport.
Nine Games. Nine Home Games Gone.
The Patriots have been sold out since 1994. Thirty-two years of season-ticket holders who passed those seats down like heirlooms, who budgeted their October Sundays around a team that just won Super Bowl LX behind Drake Maye — the defending AFC champions. Their Week 10 game against Detroit goes to Munich. Allianz Arena. On FOX. To be clear: it’s technically the Lions’ home game, so New England is the road team, which somehow makes it worse. Patriots fans don’t even get the consolation of “well, it was our game to give.” The Lions gave theirs away, and New England fans just lose a chance to watch the defending AFC champs play within driving distance.
Kyle Van Noy backed Watt immediately. Kyle Shanahan said he doesn’t see “any pro” in playing internationally. When a coach known for his meticulous game-planning tells you there’s zero upside, believe him. These games shred weekly routines — travel, schedule compression, body clock disruption — and the teams absorbing the most disruption are usually the ones not based in London or playing under a marquee matchup. The Bengals and Falcons flying to Madrid in Week 9 is not a neutral event.
Goodell’s Real Goal Has Nothing to Do With Growing the Game
The league’s 2026 international schedule didn’t materialize because of overwhelming demand from Bengals fans in Spain. Roger Goodell has a stated target of 16 international games per season. The NFL is actively pursuing a separate international rights package valued at $1 billion to $1.5 billion. NFL Network’s international slate was up 32% in viewership in 2025. Those are the numbers that built this schedule — not some organic groundswell of support from Río de Janeiro to Melbourne. This is a new revenue vertical dressed up as cultural diplomacy, and the toll is paid by the people who already bought in. That’s the honest version of what’s happening.
The “growing the game globally” framing does real work here because it’s hard to argue against without sounding provincial. You say “nine games overseas is too many” and someone calls you anti-growth. But growth for whom? The season-ticket holder in Foxborough isn’t growing anything. He’s just losing a home game so the league can close a TV deal in a market where the sport is barely a footnote.
Goodell wants 16 eventually. If 9 tests the market and the rights money holds, there’s no structural reason it stops there. Watt saw where this was going before most people were willing to say it plainly. A traveling circus doesn’t become something else just because the stops get more glamorous.
