Nfl Expansion Guide: Everything to Know About New Franchises, Cities, and Realignment
By Marcus Vance
The path to 34 teams requires approval through a formal NFL team ownership vote, where 24 of the 32 controlling owners must vote yes. That consensus is far from guaranteed. While Goodell pitches the long-term enterprise value of global expansion, influential figures inside the room are voicing sharp skepticism about permanently basing players overseas.
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones publicly downplayed the viability of placing an expansion team in Europe during an appearance on 105.3 The Fan with Shan Shariff and RJ Choppy. Jones pointed out the administrative nightmares of player taxation, collective bargaining agreements across international borders, and the competitive imbalance forced on domestic teams traveling six to eight time zones for a single divisional road game. Jones and several legacy owners favor staging a full 16-game slate of international showcase games using existing teams rather than surrendering valuable equity to an offshore franchise.
Beyond logistics sits the question of franchise valuation fees. When the Carolina Panthers sold for $2.275 billion in 2018 and the Washington Commanders went for $6.05 billion in 2023, the baseline for entry jumped drastically. Any new ownership group awarded an expansion franchise will be expected to pay between $6 billion and $7.5 billion. Because expansion fees are split among current owners without sharing a penny with the players under the salary cap, current owners will only dilute their television broadcast splits if the incoming expansion checks are astronomically high.
Marcus Vance is a cybersecurity auditor and technology writer dedicated to educating the public about online safety, data privacy regulations, enterprise security, and emerging cyber threats.
