We had to go to London because we’re hosting the superbowl in ‘25. Every team that hosts a Super Bowl has to give up a home game to London. Has nothing to do with Gayle being a terrible owner lol
The broad crappiness of these games actually makes perfect sense if you understand how the NFL decides which teams play in London. That is, the NFL doesn’t decide which teams play in London. The league leaves that up to the teams, who volunteer to give up one of their home games.
Teams are only willing to give up a home game if they don’t have a lot to lose. If you have a good football team, you don’t want to give up a home game for competitive reasons. Losing home-field advantage could limit your odds of making the playoffs.
From a financial perspective, the NFL reimburses teams for the losses associated with giving up a home game, and pays them an additional $1 million. So what this really comes down to is who is willing to take a decreased chance of winning for a guaranteed chance at $1 million?