Professional football is always in constant transition, but what if we were to take a glance at the NFL in the year 2020. What would it look like? Could there be teams in Los Angeles or London? What players would find themselves atop of the league's totem pole? In the next six years, pro football will be fun to watch, but let us journey to the future to look ahead at what the NFL might have in store.
Rules:
The NFL rulebook is always transforming during the offseason. By the time 2020 rolls around, this will be no different. Quarterback sacks might become a thing of the past. That statistic might simply become quarterback pressures. The league is already leaning towards keeping its star quarterbacks up right, so this might not be so bold. The NFL will not allow a quarterback to get hit, so when a player touches him, they might rule the play dead. The bottom line is quarterbacks will be untouchable by 2020.
Players:
As the NFL stands now, the league's current stars are Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers and host of other players too long to list. In 2020, the Mount Rushmore of current players will have undoubtedly changed. With the retiring of older stars, current players like Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson will garner the attention of a Manning or a Brady. Don't count out players who haven't even entered the league yet. Maybe Jameis Winston or Marcus Mariota could join the league's pinnacle of top players in the next six years? In the NFL, it doesn't take long for stardom to occur. Victor Cruz went from being undrafted to a primetime, salsa dancing diva in less than two years.
Landscape:
For the last few years, there have been rumors about expanding the number of teams or the relocation of a few select franchises. In 2020, the latter will have become fact. Two teams will have two new homes. Out of the all the franchises that have been connected with moving, the Jaguars and Rams make the most sense. Jacksonville can simply not produce enough revenue to keep its home in Florida. A move to a bigger city seems to be more of a need than a desire. The same goes for St. Louis. While the Rams have enjoyed success in St. Louis, a move to a more glamorous destination seems to be more appropriate for the team to flourish. Here are two destinations to keep an eye on. One is obvious, while the other is not so much - Los Angeles and San Antonio.
While the future of pro football can be discussed ad nauseam, there is no doubt change is on the horizon. We can see it in a few days with the draft upon us, and we can see it down the road in 2020. While most of us would like to see the game stay the way it has been, the drama of change brings excitement to nation's most popular sport.
Rules:
The NFL rulebook is always transforming during the offseason. By the time 2020 rolls around, this will be no different. Quarterback sacks might become a thing of the past. That statistic might simply become quarterback pressures. The league is already leaning towards keeping its star quarterbacks up right, so this might not be so bold. The NFL will not allow a quarterback to get hit, so when a player touches him, they might rule the play dead. The bottom line is quarterbacks will be untouchable by 2020.
Players:
As the NFL stands now, the league's current stars are Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers and host of other players too long to list. In 2020, the Mount Rushmore of current players will have undoubtedly changed. With the retiring of older stars, current players like Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson will garner the attention of a Manning or a Brady. Don't count out players who haven't even entered the league yet. Maybe Jameis Winston or Marcus Mariota could join the league's pinnacle of top players in the next six years? In the NFL, it doesn't take long for stardom to occur. Victor Cruz went from being undrafted to a primetime, salsa dancing diva in less than two years.
Landscape:
For the last few years, there have been rumors about expanding the number of teams or the relocation of a few select franchises. In 2020, the latter will have become fact. Two teams will have two new homes. Out of the all the franchises that have been connected with moving, the Jaguars and Rams make the most sense. Jacksonville can simply not produce enough revenue to keep its home in Florida. A move to a bigger city seems to be more of a need than a desire. The same goes for St. Louis. While the Rams have enjoyed success in St. Louis, a move to a more glamorous destination seems to be more appropriate for the team to flourish. Here are two destinations to keep an eye on. One is obvious, while the other is not so much - Los Angeles and San Antonio.
While the future of pro football can be discussed ad nauseam, there is no doubt change is on the horizon. We can see it in a few days with the draft upon us, and we can see it down the road in 2020. While most of us would like to see the game stay the way it has been, the drama of change brings excitement to nation's most popular sport.