The occasional rumblings about the NFL starting its first developmental league since NFL Europe shut down in 2007 have flared up again recently.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in October that there have been discussions on that front and Jason LaCanfora of CBS Sports reported late last month that NFL executive vice president for football operations Troy Vincent is ready to “make recommendations for a developmental league or in-season academy after years studying the matter.” We’ve heard several people around the league advocating for such a development, Saints coach Sean Payton is going the other way.
“I’m not in favor of the developmental league,” Payton said, via the New Orleans Times-Picayune. “I think you’re going to see an increased number of practice squad players. The developmental league, I think, is just a way for more network programming.
Payton had a different view in the spring when he said, via LaCanfora, that he thinks “you’re going to see that at some point now.” Payton also noted that officials would benefit from working in a developmental league, although it seems that benefit isn’t enough for him to get on board with the idea a few months later.