Destination: Canada? Packers' third exhibition game nearly set for Winnipeg
-- The Green Bay Packers in Canada?
That could be a reality this summer, according to Jeff Hamilton of the Winnipeg Free Press. The Winnipeg Football Club is reportedly in its "final stages" of crafting a plan to host both the Packers and Oakland Raiders for a week three preseason game.
Packers President and CEO Mark Murphy confirmed in March at the annual league meeteings that the Packers were in discussions to play an exhibition game in either Saskatchewan and Winnipeg. As of right now, the latter appears to be the far more likely destination.
Exhibition or regular season, the Packers will have been the only team in the NFL to have not participated in the league's International Series by 2019.
While the Winnipeg Blue Bombers are scheduled to be on the road that week, leaving Investors Group Field unoccupied, there is a soccer game at that same field on Thursday, Aug. 22. The Packers and Raiders will meet either Friday, Aug. 23 or Saturday, Aug. 24.
The Packers have flirted with international appearances in the past. They previously played in the league's American Bowl, which was a series of preseason games between 1986 and 2005 played outside of the United States. The Packers traveled to Toronto, Canada in 1997 to play the Buffalo Bills and Tokyo, Japan the following year for a meeting with the Kansas City Chiefs.
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Zachary Jacobson is a staff writer/reporter for Cheesehead TV. He's the voice of The Leap on iTunes and can be heard on The Scoop KLGR 1490 AM every Saturday morning. He's also a contributor on the Pack-A-Day Podcast. He can be found on Twitter via @ZachAJacobson or contacted through email at [email protected].
Comments (12)
Samson
May 24, 2019 at 08:38 pm
I've been to northern Minn. many times in my life..... it's remote, rustic & a stunning place to be.... It's amazing to know that just a few miles (60 or so) north of Minn. is a modern metropolis of nearly 3/4 of a million people called Winnipeg.
IceBowl
May 24, 2019 at 09:04 pm
Samson,
It is not common (cities) As you say, just a few miles north of Minn. .... "it's remote, rustic & a stunning place to be...." . Yeah, there are a couple of bigger cities too. But way more water than cities. Walleyes!!
Coldworld
May 25, 2019 at 12:00 am
Wait, there is something north of Minnesota?
Klincker
May 25, 2019 at 12:16 am
Watch it. We'll send the RCMP down your way. :)
egbertsouse
May 25, 2019 at 07:44 am
Take off to the Great White North. It’s a beauty way to go, eh.
marpag1
May 25, 2019 at 06:55 am
OK. Most exciting practice schedule announcement ever... for whatever that's worth.
PatrickGB
May 25, 2019 at 08:01 am
I think the teams should play by CFL rules. A running start for the receivers is allowed, one less down and the field is wider and the end zone is bigger.
Johnblood27
May 25, 2019 at 08:58 am
...sounds like my ex-wife...
Lare
May 25, 2019 at 02:04 pm
The NFL is forcing teams to play in other countries, better to get it over with in Canada than in others that require hours of travel times.
stockholder
May 25, 2019 at 02:32 pm
They already have football. The government may step in. Canada could build a wall.
Lare
May 25, 2019 at 05:21 pm
"Canada could build a wall."
Let them, as long as we don't have to pay for it.
Tundraboy
May 25, 2019 at 06:54 pm
Didn't they do exactly that on South Park.