Shopping trips, tours and dumplings in Chinatown: The NFL London Games experience for players

The London Games are not normal game weeks. Teams wrap up their practices, hop on a flight, and wake up on a different continent the next morning.

Some of these NFL players are leaving the United States for the first time. Many are just one year removed from college. But they arrive in the United Kingdom as representatives of their teams and the league internationally.

While the importance of arrival date can be analysed, with some opting for shorter stays than others, the player experience can also be a big part of the London Games. Sure, there are games to be played, but for many players, it is an opportunity for sightseeing, a bit of a culture shock, and an excuse to fill up a suitcase with shopping.

So what is it like?

For New York Jets star cornerback Sauce Gardner, these London Games were his first trip out of the United States.

Upon arriving in the United Kingdom, there was a moment of real confusion. “We got on the bus earlier in the day and I saw they drive on the other side of the road. I thought we were about to get in an accident. It threw me off a little bit.”

Gardner continued: “If it was not for (these games), I do not know when I would have ever gone out of the country or when I would have ever come here. So the fact we are becoming more international just gives me more opportunities to get out of the country, just to be able to experience new things and play the game I love to play.”

The No 1 draft pick in 2024 — Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams — is no stranger to European ventures.

Before even suiting up for the Bears, he was spotted in Monaco for the Formula 1 Grand Prix and in Paris for the Louis Vuitton SS24 men’s show. He blushed when he recalled the trips: “I think the first thing I have learned from travelling is taking in a bunch of different cultures. I love food and architecture and everywhere you go, there is a bunch of different things. It is just something I like to do in my time off to reset.”

Williams might be used to travelling by himself, but for the London Games, players are transported to their hotels where together they train, eat, and sleep. This is different to a normal week, where they would stay at their own separate homes, and being cooped up in a hotel can have chemistry-building effects.

“You’re at the hotel the whole time and get the chance to really sit down and focus on the game plan and end up getting a lot of time with the guys,” said Bears wide receiver Keenan Allen.

When Jim Harbaugh was the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers for their 2013 London game, the now Los Angeles Chargers head coach called the team’s facility a “football oasis”, as reported by ESPN.

Some players can bring their families, but this is more likely on longer trips. The Jets, for example, arrived on Friday after flying out from practice on Thursday and left after the game on Sunday, not leaving room for many extra-curricular activities.

Their star quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, said he prefers to spend longer in London. “I am always saying let’s get out here early so we can do some things. Last time, Allen (Lazard) and I went to Wembley and watched a soccer game, the USWNT versus England women. There is not a lot of time for that when you are coming over here this late.”

The Bears came for the week, giving players a day off on Tuesday. How did wide receiver DJ Moore enjoy exploring London?

Moore (left) enjoyed a food tour of London (Harry Murphy/Getty Images)

“It was amazing,” Moore said. “Great times. Great vibes. We ended up doing a food tour and had a pretty amazing (tour) guy. In Chinatown, we had dumplings and spicy sauce.”

Moore, 27, signed a four-year $110million contract extension in the summer and said the biggest challenge about coming to London was not spending all your money shopping.

Dion Bailey, who made his Jets debut in the 2015 London games, told The Athletic: “I had never been to London, so I did not prepare. For a lot of guys who had been overseas, that is where they do their shopping. People packed a little bag of stuff they would wear around the hotel and brought an empty suitcase to do some shopping out there and bring it back full.”

One challenge many players have to battle is jet lag. The flight to London can take as long as other away trips across the United States, but the time zone varies more dramatically. London (BST) is between five hours (ET) and eight hours (PT) ahead.

The Bears players were given packs with cards on how to get proper sleep, facemasks, and pillows to maximize sleep on the plane.

Advice from sleep scientists is used, but according to recently fired Jets head coach Robert Saleh, they do not agree with taking naps.

Despite not being fully on board with the sleeping tips, Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson reeled in his highest catch total of the season in London, going for 101 receiving yards off 13 catches and a touchdown.

Wilson played well in London (Julian Finney/Getty Images)

He said: “I do not like to overthink it, just go out and ball. If you cannot show up when it is time to go and play, then it is probably not for you. I know everyone overcomplicates the sleep and we have sleep scientists and all this stuff, but I do not really believe in it. If I am tired, I am going to bed. When it is game time, it is time to go and play.”

Jets running back Breece Hall captured the conundrum perfectly when he said: “We do not really feel like it is a road game. Both teams are coming in, you have to worry about the long flight and getting adjusted — but not too adjusted — to the time zones.”

Of all the tourist activities, Brandon Meriweather’s recollection of visiting Big Ben in 2009 when he came with the New England Patriots will be hard to top.

“To be honest,” Meriweather said in his press conference, “my favourite thing apart from the win was going to see the Palace and the Big Bang Clock. Actually, I take that back. We went over to a haunted house that was by the Big Bang Clock yesterday. Just to see some of my team-mates act like little kids was probably the best part of my weekend.”

Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence has played in the UK capital every year since he was the first overall pick in 2021. 

Lawrence said: “There is so much to do, so I try to change it up a little bit and try to see everything. I have seen a lot of the staples, but as far as food, I love trying different restaurants here because there is great food.”

While players enjoy food tours and shopping, life for head coaches is not so fun.

“I have not gone sightseeing,” said Bears head coach Matt Eberflus. “I know the players had yesterday off, but I was game-planning from six in the morning until 10pm, so I didn’t get much time for that. It was a good time hanging out with the coaches like I always do on that day. It was good.”

Jets head coach Saleh was fired after their 23-17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings in London.

Rookie wide receiver Rome Odunze, the ninth overall pick in the 2024 draft, admitted that it was “nice he wasn’t recognised in London”. Still, a crowd of 60,000 watched his Bears team beat the Jaguars at Tottenham Hotspur stadium.

(Top photos: Getty Images)