14. An NFL-funded developmental or minor league
← All 18 proposals · Outside proposals
Insiders (sourced entries)
For an NFL developmental league
Roger Goodell (2010).
“If it was a developmental league, it should be done for that purpose, for the purpose of developing players”
Floated reviving an NFL developmental league (after folding NFL Europe), focused on offseason reps to develop players, subject to collective bargaining.
College already serves as the NFL's farm system
Mike Vrabel and Phil Savage (2018).
“The NFL has the greatest farm system in the world.”
At his introductory Titans press conference, Vrabel described big-time college programs as the NFL's farm system.
“The reality of it is, in many way, major college football is the minor league system for the NFL.”
Savage said major college football is in many ways the NFL's minor league, since the NFL, unlike baseball or basketball, has no development system of its own.
NFL should stay out unless invited
Goodell (2026).
“I think we try to stay in our lane unless we're invited in to be part of the solution.”
At his Super Bowl LX press conference, Goodell said college football needs to bring clarity to all the disruption, and the NFL would help if asked but otherwise would stay in its lane.
Gap
no verified source was found of a major figure proposing an NFL-funded minor league specifically as an alternative to college football.
No single archive entry is matched to this line automatically; see the linked person pages.
College FootballNFL · later