Dublin should be "the next big city" to host an NFL game, former quarterback says

Ryan Fitzpatrick, a former NFL quarterback who played with several different teams throughout his career, believes Ireland should be the next big city to host an NFL game.

Fitzpatrick recently spoke to Yahoo Sports’ Matt Harmon about Dublin hosting a pro football game in the future and his partnership with Jameson Irish Whiskey.

"Jameson and I are unofficially trying to get pro football in Dublin, Ireland," Fitzpatrick told Harmon.

"It just seems like we've done London. I went over there and played, and it was awesome.

"We've now done Germany with Munich and Frankfurt coming up, Mexico City.

"Dublin, Ireland, seems like the next big city to get it done. I think there's a lot of interest there." 

Fitzpatrick spoke of the success of the recent Aer Lingus College Football Classic, which saw Notre Dame and Navy play in Dublin's Aviva Stadium in August. Organizers said before the event that 39,176 fans would be traveling directly from the US to Ireland for the game.

Harmon noted that 86% of American NFL fans would be excited to see a game take place in Ireland and added that he thinks Ireland is "next."

"I love to see that with Jameson. That's awesome. The more people we can grow the game to and get a live game in front of folks, the better," Harmon said. 

Fitzpatrick said that Jameson has promised to fly some people to Ireland if a pro football game is announced for Dublin by September 13, 2024. 

In this cheeky video, Fitzpatrick touts the idea of an NFL game in Dublin, but acknowledges, "Ryan Fitzpatrick and Jameson, two Irish legends with absolutely zero sway to make this happen."

Ireland has never hosted a regular season NFL game, but the Pittsburgh Steelers took on the Chicago Bears in a pre-season matchup in Dublin in 1997, the only time that two NFL teams had clashed in Ireland. 

However, that could be changing after the NFL granted the Steelers international marketing rights in Ireland and Northern Ireland and the Jaguars international marketing rights in Ireland back in May.

A statement from the Pittsburgh Steelers noted that the organization can now carry out in-person activities such as fan and youth football activities throughout Ireland, and partake in corporate sponsorship and merchandise sales, as well as co-marketing relationships throughout the island of Ireland.

Afterward, The Steelers have begun to ramp up their Irish connection. 

Meanwhile, several American college football games have been played in Ireland.

The 1988 Emerald Isle Classic saw Boston College beat Army at Landsdowne Road, and the 1996 Shamrock Classic saw Notre Dame beat Navy in Croke Park.

The Emerald Isle Classic returned in 2012 for another showdown between Notre Dame and Navy, this time at Aviva Stadium.

Two years later, Penn State defeated the University of Central Florida (UCF) in Croke Park for the aptly named Croke Park Classic.

In 2016, the first iteration of the Aer Lingus College Football Classic was played; Georgia Tech beat Boston College in the Aviva.

The second Aer Lingus College Football Classic game, to feature Notre Dame and Navy, was scheduled for August 2020 but was canceled two months before kickoff due to the pandemic. 

In 2022, Northwestern shocked Nebraska in the Aviva for the second installment of the Aer Lingus College Football Classic.

This year, Notre Dame walloped Navy for the 2023 Aer Lingus College Football Classic at the Aviva.

Georgia Tech is due to play Florida State in the Aviva next August for the 2024 Aer Lingus College Football Classic.