According to Boomer Esiason, the NFL’s landscape is set to change significantly within the next three years. During his WFAN radio show with co-host Gregg Giannotti, news surfaced about the Miami Dolphins being designated as the home team for a 2025 NFL game in Madrid, which prompted Esiason to discuss the league’s ongoing global expansion.
Boomer says the NFL is heading towards a four-team division in Europe by 2028 or 2029 👀 @WFANmornings @GioWFAN pic.twitter.com/GnfkIyPWqt
— WFAN Sports Radio (@WFAN660) January 17, 2025
“I’m telling you right now, by 2029, maybe even 2028…there will be an NFL division in Europe,” Esiason stated. “There will be four teams, and an NFL Europe division—you watch.” He further confirmed that these four teams will be expansion franchises rather than existing ones, resulting in a total of 36 rosters in the league. “There are so many billionaires wanting a piece of this. It’s got to happen,” he added.
On the same day, Commissioner Roger Goodell appeared on Bloomberg’s The David Rubenstein Show and confirmed that the league is exploring the idea of expanding with a division overseas, though he mentioned that logistical challenges still need to be addressed. Esiason’s projected timeline is particularly surprising; having four new franchises operational in Europe in three to four years is likely sooner than anticipated.
Giannotti pressed Esiason on his feelings about placing four teams in Europe, but the former analyst for The NFL Today focused primarily on the potential business advantages. “It would also create another TV package,” Esiason noted. Later, he jokingly suggested that maybe Boomer and Gio would eventually broadcast a live American football show for Netflix from Europe. Whether this was an unconnected thought or a subtle hint remains unclear. A year ago, Esiason accurately predicted an NFL-Netflix partnership for Christmas Day. The NFL aims to establish a larger package for Netflix, and introducing a four-team division in Europe might facilitate that goal.
