Green Bay Packers and Oakland Raiders might play preseason game in Canada
It isn't London and it isn't regular season, but Canada is international.
Green Bay Packers President and CEO Mark Murphy said Tuesday at the league owners' meeting in Phoenix that the team is exploring a 2019 preseason game against the Oakland Raiders in possibly Saskatchewan or Winnipeg.
"We're in discussions. This would be the Raiders' home game. Still kind of up in the air," Murphy said.
The Packers played a preseason game in Oakland in 2018 and are scheduled to play the Raiders in a regular-season game at Lambeau Field this year. The NFL normally releases the regular-season schedule in mid-April, before the draft.
That was the second Packers' training camp semi-announcement of the day. New head coach Matt LeFleur said he wants to hold joint training camp practices with whichever team it plays in its preseason home opener. The NFL has not announced the preseason schedule.
With the Carolina Panthers scheduled to play in London this year, the Packers are the only NFL team to not play in England or Mexico since the NFL launched its International Series in 2007.
The Packers did play preseason games in Toronto in 1997 and Tokyo in 1998.
It is unlikely a preseason game in Canada this season would relieve the Packers of their requirement to play an international game — eventually.
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Murphy has said the Packers won't give up a home game because of the impact it would have on the local economy, something in the neighborhood of $15 million.
Other NFL teams don't want to give up home games against the Packers because Green Bay always brings a lot of fans with it. That was clearly in evidence during the Packers' game against the Rams in Los Angeles in 2018, when it appeared half the stadium was occupied by Green Bay fans.
Here's the international lineup for 2019:
• Kansas City Chiefs at Los Angeles Chargers in Mexico City
• Carolina Panthers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers in London
• Chicago Bears at Oakland Raiders in London
• Cincinnati Bengals at Los Angeles Rams in London
• Houston Texans at Jacksonville Jaguars in London
Follow the Green Bay Press-Gazette's Richard Ryman on Twitter @RichRymanPG.
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