London has become a home away from home for the Buccaneers, but anyone thinking they'll bolt Tampa, Fla., for good -- think again.
Bucs general manager Mark Dominik swatted down those whispers Friday from Bagshot, England, where the team is preparing for Sunday's tilt against the Chicago Bears.
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"This team is never going to relocate from Tampa and go to London," Dominik told The Tampa Tribune. "We're the Tampa Bay Buccaneers."
The Bucs enjoy a vibrant fan base overseas and after traveling internationally to play twice since 2009. Reports have suggested the team could emerge as a candidate to play one game at Wembley Stadium annually.
"As an organization, if (the NFL) gets to the point where they talk about putting a team here for one game per season on a consistent basis, at that point it will be (a matter for discussion)," Dominik told The Tribune. "But right now I've never heard a conversation (about that). I've certainly never had a conversation with ownership about that being us, so I think right now it's still speculation."
Placing a team in London raises obvious issues. Road games and travel schedules would need to be worked out in a way that doesn't leave an overseas team burned out to the core. It would also mean across-the-pond trips for divisional opponents, among a host of other logistical issues to solve.Â
The NFL is committed to building its following around the world, but as we've seen from the Bucs' response, asking a current team to relocate to Europe or beyond remains a tall order.
