No, Saudi Arabia won't be stopping with flag football.
Via David Hellier of Bloomberg.com, Saudi Arabia wants to host an NFL game.
“Britain got it, Brazil got it,” Price Turki Alalshikh (pictured with Brady) said Thursday, per Hellier. “Hopefully, Saudi Arabia will be next."
The NFL didn't respond to a request for comment from Bloomberg. The NFL has otherwise said plenty about its international ambitions. However, Saudi Arabia has yet to make the short list of potential destinations.
As noted by Hellier, the league's recent program of assigning specific countries to specific teams for marketing purposes does not yet include Saudi Arabia. (It could be a perfect opportunity for the Titans to revert to the Oilers.)
The NFL would be wise to play nice with Saudi Arabia. As we hear it, the powers-that-be believe Saudi Arabia won't dip a toe into American football given the expenses associated with creating the infrastructure for the game.
That said, Saudi Arabia has more than enough money to launch a true in-season competitor to the NFL — with the resources to lure the best of the best NFL players to the upstart league.
Sean McVay and Les Snead's NFL influence will be on full display in Rams vs. Jaguars
Rams coach Sean McVay and general manager Les Snead, left from top, played roles in helping Liam Coen and James Gladstone, right from top, land jobs with the Jacksonville Jaguars. (Associated Press)
Rams general manager Les Snead and Jacksonville Jaguars general manager James Gladstone still talk every week.
Gladstone worked for Snead for nine years before the Jaguars hired him last January. So they have remained in touch through free agency, the draft and the season.
But this week, with their teams playing against each other at Wembley Stadium in London, Snead thought it might be best to go old-school and not talk until the game was over.
“James, he’s of the younger generation, so he’s like, ‘No you can talk during game week,’” Snead said as he watched the Rams practice in Baltimore. “I’m more kind of ... you shouldn’t shake hands before the game, right? We’re trying to beat each other.
“We joked about that. It just seems like a regular game week right now.”
As Rams coach Sean McVay and Snead navigate their ninth season together, they can’t avoid seeing throughout the NFL the fruits — and competitive challenges — created by their labors and success.
Head coaches Matt LaFleur of the Green Bay Packers, Zac Taylor of the Cincinnati Bengals, Kevin O’Connell of the Minnesota Vikings and Raheem Morris of the Atlanta Falcons all served as assistants under McVay.
Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes, who worked under Snead for many years, built the Lions into an NFC power after he was hired following the 2020 season.
On Sunday, McVay and Snead will face the latest challenge from members of their respective coaching and management trees.
Jaguars coach Liam Coen worked under McVay as an assistant receivers coach in 2018 and 2019 and assistant quarterbacks coach in 2020. After a season as the University of Kentucky’s offensive coordinator, he returned to the Rams as offensive coordinator in 2022.
The Jaguars hired Coen last January after he spent the 2024 season as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator.
The next month, the Jaguars hired Gladstone, who quickly established an aggressive approach, trading up to select cornerback/receiver Travis Hunter with the second pick in the draft. The wheeling and dealing has continued during the season.
Coen has the Jaguars off to a 4-2 start.
“He’s passionate,” McVay said. “You can see that quarterback background. He's fiery, but he also knows when to be able to stay steady. I think he picks and chooses his spots accordingly. But I think the most important thing is authenticity. That's exactly what he's been.”
Coen was offensive coordinator during the Rams historic Super Bowl hangover. The Rams lost many of their star players because of injuries, including quarterback Matthew Stafford, receiver Cooper Kupp and defensive lineman Aaron Donald — and finished 5-12.
Jacksonville Jaguars coach Liam Coen watches from the sideline during a game against the Seattle Seahawks on Oct. 12. (John Raoux / Associated Press)
“That was a challenging year for us,” McVay said. “But man, there was a lot of growth that occurred in the midst of a uniquely challenging year. I think there was a lot of growth for us personally and professionally. I think he's used that to be able to use some of those scars, if you will, to be stronger.”
Coen this week praised McVay for instilling confidence in Rams players, coaches and staff members from “a positive state of mind,” especially during difficult periods.
“But also the standard, the demand, the way that he ultimately wants the team to play, it shows up every single week,” Coen told reporters during a news conference.
Gladstone, 35, continues to supply Coen with talented players, and shows no signs of slowing down as the trade deadline nears.
Snead hired Gladstone in 2016 as a senior assistant and Gladstone quickly climbed through the organization as something of a personnel and scouting savant.
“You just appreciated how he thought,” Snead said. “Historically, we’ve done that here in L.A. a little bit with someone that’s 'OK, wait a minute, they’re bright, they have passion for football, they might not have, let’s call it, professional experience, but lets bring them in, find them a seat on the bus and see where it goes from there.”
McVay and Snead are happy to see their former assistants succeed every day — except when they are playing against the Rams.
“It’s always cool to see people take a little bit of the foundation that we worked together to engineer here,” Snead said, “but you can always see people ... go somewhere else and they add their DNA or their independence away from how we’ve done it here and have given them a little bit more freedom to innovate in a different direction.”
Rams vs. Jaguars: How to watch, prediction and betting odds
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence works out with his teammates at The Grove in Watford, England, on Friday. (Kin Cheung / Associated Press)
Adams, a three-time All-Pro in his first season with the Rams, has been targeted 55 times. He has 26 catches for 396 yards and three touchdowns.
Adams and quarterback Matthew Stafford have connected on several dynamic plays, but their timing remains a work in progress.
“It's not how I drew it up as far as efficiency goes,” Adams said. “I think we both would've liked to be a little bit more efficient, but I know for myself over the last few [games], just based off how we started, [there’s been] a little bit of pressing.”
Stafford put the onus on himself.
“There's been some good ones,” he said. “There's been some missed ones. I would take the majority of the blame on a lot of those and just give him a better chance on a couple.”
Adams rose to stardom while playing eight seasons with Aaron Rodgers with the Green Bay Packers. But that connection also took time, Adams said.
“It definitely didn't start off the first couple years, let alone the first couple of games the way that we got going,” Adams said. “Not that we have another 10 years to go, but it takes time. It's not easy.
“Puka and Matthew have been playing together for years now and they have a little better understanding of where one another is going to be, what to expect, and just making it work. It's been a few where there’s really no excuse for me or him. We just have to put it together.”
Atwell will be back after sitting out last Sunday’s victory over the Baltimore Ravens because of a hamstring injury. Atwell has four catches on nine targets, including one for a long touchdown.
But he said he was not concerned about targets as much as affecting the game in other ways. The speedy threat opens opportunities for Nacua, Adams and others.
“Every opportunity we've given him, he’s seized it,” Stafford said. “I don't see anything different happening. If he gets more opportunities in this game, I have a ton of trust in him.”
Key injuries
Rams: WR Puka Nacua (ankle, out); OL Rob Havenstein (ankle, out).
The Rams and Jaguars will play at 6:30 a.m. PDT Sunday at Wembley Stadium in London. The game will be shown on Fox in the Los Angeles area and will be available nationally on NFL Network. In Southern California, fans can listen to the game on 710 AM, 93.1 FM and 1330 AM (Español).
Betting odds and lines for Rams vs. Jaguars
Who will win Rams vs. Jaguars?
Gary Klein’s pick: The Jaguars are more accustomed to preparing to play in London, and the Rams will be without Nacua. But Stafford, Adams and running back Kyren Williams will carry the offense while the defense comes up big again.
