PHILADELPHIA -- The NFL will embark on uncharted territory in Week 1 with a historic game. Not only is the league playing a game in Brazil for the first time, but it will have its first Friday game in September since 1970.
The Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers will be the participants for a venue the NFL is hoping to visit many more times going forward. The game does present challenges, including travel and safety, creating skepticism why the NFL is going to Brazil in the first place.
Darius Slay fanned the flames this week with his comments on Brazil and not wanting to go there. This comes on the heels of A.J. Brown explaining the "don't do's" when heading down to Brazil last week.
"I do not want to go to Brazil. You want to know why? I'm going to tell you why," Slay said on his podcast, via PHL Eagles Nation. "They already told us not to leave the hotel. They told us we can't do too much going on, because the crime rate is crazy. I'm like 'NFL, why would you want to send us somewhere with a crime rate this high?'"
While Slay later backtracked his comments, how do other Eagles feel about playing in this game? A few players were asked in the locker room this week about the Brazil trip, as the Eagles are flying down to Sao Paulo Wednesday night.
Saquon Barkley
Saquon Barkley was asked by CBS Sports how much different this trip would be compared to his last overseas trip for a game. Barkley played with the New York Giants in London in 2022, shutting down any of the negativity about the trip.
"I don't think there's going to be much time to go out and experience the culture. But that's what the offseason is for. If we want to go out there and experience that, we get paid a lot of money and we can go take a flight to Brazil and do that," said Barkley.
"My mindset is to go out there, be locked in, and try to do whatever we can to come out with a win. Everyone is talking about, I'm not saying us, but what you see in the media, what's going on down there, I look at it as an opportunity. We can do something that no one in the NFL has ever done before. I'm excited about that."
Brandon Graham
Entering his 15th NFL season, Brandon Graham is just soaking in this will be his final season opener. Graham will retire at the end of the year.
"It's going to be different because it's the first one for me. I'm excited to go out there just to see how everything is. I've never been there before, but go get the win," said Graham.
"I'm going to be in the room for the most part. My family won't be there, but I'm gonna make sure I'm gonna step out just to see what it's all about or even on the ride over you get to see what's around the hotel and stuff like that. But we understand what the mission is going over there, and if we can't do certain stuff, it's okay, because we aren't going to be there that long anyway."
Jalen Hurts
There is a mural for Jalen Hurts in Brazil, which he admitted he has seen. Hurts is optimistic about the trip, as this is his first overseas game.
"I think it's a once in a lifetime opportunity. It's something to be very excited about, the international stage," said Hurts. "Brazil, from what I've heard, is a very amazing place, a beautiful place, and a very passionate place as well when it comes to sports and their fans. So I'm excited to get a taste of that."
Jordan Mailata
Being from Australia, Jordan Mailata knows what a long flight entails. A nine-hour flight is nothing.
"The flight is not long at all. It's going to be a walk in the park for me. They tell you, 'You need to stay awake.' And I'm like, 'Of course! I'm going to be awake for 9 hours, you kidding me?' This is a short flight," said Mailata.
Mailata is also optimistic about the trip, especially for the people of Brazil. This is the first time an NFL regular-season game will be played there after all.
"Dude, as long as the country embraces it, it's going to be phenomenal. You can't just expect to go to a country and grow the sport. People have to embrace it. I think it's going to be a monumental step for the NFL. … It'll be awesome. It's such a great thing to do. It's a new sport.
"Everybody's going to be like, 'What is this?' They get to learn it, and if they don't like it, they don't like it. If they love it, we'll be playing again in Brazil in about four more years."
Jahan Dotson
Just two weeks ago, Jahan Dotson wasn't traveling overseas for an international game. His debut with the Eagles will be in Brazil.
"I think it's awesome. It's a pretty cool opportunity. We get to travel outside of the states, get to play in front of a different crowd," said Dotson.
"We're used to playing here around the states, but I think it's a cool opportunity. We're get to play in a different place, but at the end of the day, it's the same task at hand. We're going there to win a football game and beat the Packers."
Darius Slay
Slay vented his frustrations on his podcast, but had a different tone in the locker room. He said he won't be leaving the hotel room either.
"It is what it is. I'm just going down there focused on getting this dub," Slay said. "But I ain't leaving, I'm going to be in the room playing a (video). I don't feel like traveling too heavy because we're on there for a day, so not bringing my travel gaming system, but I'm just going to bring the PC."
Tanner McKee
Tanner McKee spent three years in Brazil when he was on a mission there before finishing up at Stanford. The topic on staying safe was brought up, which the Eagles third-string quarterback was very open about.
"I think it's better to be safe than sorry. Being cautious, I think, is smart," McKee said. "I also think it's easy to get scared of things you don't know, so we're just being very cautious just in case. I think that's a good approach. But I think guys will be pleasantly surprised at how nice everybody is."
