ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Russell Wilson's orange No. 3 jerseys figure to be hot sellers in London, too.
While the Broncos have not been informed by the NFL they will be playing the Jacksonville Jaguars in London on October 30, multiple sources have told 9NEWS there is a strong chance it will happen.
Broncos’ chief executive officer Joe Ellis said at the league owners meetings last month in Palm Beach, Fla. that he has informed the NFL he has a strong desire for Denver's team to play the Jaguars across the pond. A high-ranking team source told 9NEWS on Monday afternoon that the league has not committed to Ellis or anyone else with the team about playing the Jaguars in London. Sources say the Las Vegas Raiders had also expressed interest about playing the Jaguars in London. Fox 31 reported Monday that the Broncos’ trip to London in late-October is a done deal.
Sources have told 9NEWS that its possible the Broncos would play at Carolina the week before, stay in Carolina for another day or two, and then fly from there to London. The Broncos would then have their bye week after their long trip to London. Again, team officials would not confirm this piece of their schedule.
The Broncos last played in London during the 2010 season to disastrous results. First, they lost to the San Francisco 49ers and fill-in quarterback Troy Smith, 24-16 on Halloween. More seriously, the NFL discovered a Broncos’ videographer Steve Scarnecchia violated league rules by filming 6 minutes of the 49ers’ walkthrough practice the day before the game at Wembley Stadium.
Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels said he did not view the tape when Scarnecchia presented it to him at his London hotel room but McDaniels was fined $50,000 for not reporting the illicit tape. The team was also fined $50,000 and Scarnecchia was fired. McDaniels was fired five weeks later as the Broncos had slumped to a 3-9 record. After returning to the New England Patriots as an offensive coordinator, McDaniels was hired as the Raiders’ head coach in January.
The Broncos were going to return to London in early November of 2020 to play the Atlanta Falcons but the overseas trip was cancelled because of the pandemic. The NFL went two years without scheduling an international game, but they have re-opened the out-of-country trips this season. Besides London, the NFL is also expected to play games in Germany and Mexico City this season. The NFL will announce its full schedule with dates and times on May 12.
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