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Michael DiRocco, ESPN Staff Writer
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Some of the NFL’s newest potential stars — and one of its oldest — will be showcased in the league’s five international games in 2024.
Six of the top 11 picks in the most recent draft and veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers highlight a schedule that begins Week 1 in Sao Paulo and concludes Week 10 in Munich.
Three games will be played in London this season, beginning with Rodgers and the New York Jets playing the Minnesota Vikings and rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy (No. 11 pick) on Oct. 6 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Rodgers went 17-11-1 against the Vikings when he was with the Green Bay Packers. He previously played in London during his final season with the Packers — a 27-22 loss to the New York Giants on Oct. 9, 2022. Rodgers fractured his right thumb on the final play of the game, a Hail Mary, and it probably affected him for the remainder of the year — the worst statistical season of his career.
The Jacksonville Jaguars will play back-to-back games in London for the second season in a row, first as the designated road team against first overall pick Caleb Williams, No. 9 pick Rome Odunze and the Chicago Bears at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Oct. 13. The Jaguars will then be the host when they play the New England Patriots and No. 3 overall pick Drake Maye at Wembley Stadium on Oct. 20.
The international schedule concludes with the Giants and sixth overall pick Malik Nabers against the Carolina Panthers and 2023 No. 1 pick Bryce Young on Nov. 10 at Allianz Arena in Munich.
The games in London and Germany will all begin at 9:30 a.m. ET and be broadcast on the NFL Network.
This will be the 12th and 13th international games for the Jaguars, who have played in more international games than any other franchise. They are 6-5 in their previous 11 after beating the Atlanta Falcons and Buffalo Bills in London in 2023 and have played an annual home game in London since 2013 (except for 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic).
The Patriots will be playing their fifth international game. They are 3-1 in their previous games abroad, with the only loss coming last season against the Indianapolis Colts in Frankfurt, Germany.
The Giants and Panthers will play the fourth regular-season game in Germany following one game in 2022 and two in 2023. The Giants, who played a preseason game in Berlin in 1994, recently were granted international marketing rights in Germany through the NFL’s Global Markets Program.
The league previously announced that the Philadelphia Eagles will play the Green Bay Packers on Friday, Sept. 6 (8:15 p.m. ET, Peacock) in the first NFL game ever played in Brazil.
“We are delighted to announce these exciting matchups across London and Munich, in addition to the historic first game in São Paulo, Brazil, to complete the 2024 International Games slate,” Peter O’Reilly, NFL executive vice president, club business, major events and international, said in a statement. “As the league and its 32 teams continue to prioritize international growth, we look forward to building on the incredible fan experiences seen in Europe while taking the game to new fans in South America.”
The full 2024 NFL schedule will be announced at 8 p.m. ET Wednesday. A two-hour special will air on ESPN2 and be simulcast on ESPN+.
Information from ESPN’s Rich Cimini and Jordan Raanan and The Associated Press was used in this report.
Source: www.espn.com