Reports: Saints eyeing France, Monaco for future minicamp practices

We've already seen the New Orleans Saints take training camp on the road, but could they take it overseas? A couple of reports came out over the weekend on the Saints' ambitions for their exclusive marketing rights in France and Monaco, and the idea of hosting their entire training camp in one of those countries is one possibility that's been discussed.

But it's a bad idea. Training camp in New Orleans is the best opportunity many fans get to see their team and favorite players in person -- and it's free. Compare that to the high price of tickets, parking, concessions, and other expenses, and getting to a game (even a preseason exhibition game) just isn't accessible for a lot of people. The Saints have already lost two home games in New Orleans since the 17-game schedule debuted; one was relocated due to Hurricane Ida, another was played in London. They also chose to move their 2024 training camp to Southern California. No team has given their local fans fewer opportunities to see their team.

Jeff Duncan reported for the Times-Picayune that the NFL has discussed a training camp in another country, and the Saints have already begun looking at practicing abroad, at least briefly. Benson clarified that "We're working on" hosting a weeklong minicamp in Monaco at Stade Louis II, a 16,000-seat arena which opened in 1985 on the Mediterranean Sea. Crucially, this would be partially funded by the Monaco government and present an opportunity for fans and spectators to observe practice.

That would be closer in scale to what the Los Angeles Rams did this summer by hosting minicamp (open to fans) in Hawai'i. But even that was just a two-hour time difference, compared to the seven-hour gap between New Orleans and Paris. It'll take a lot of time and resources to plan this out. Hosting a minicamp or organized team activity in France or Monaco also lined up with a report from NewOrleans.Football's Nick Underhill, who shared that it's still too early and moving training camp entirely is not a serious consideration for the Saints.

So that's a relief. Hosting a shorter event like an OTA or minicamp that isn't usually open to the public in Europe is a better move than uprooting a monthlong training camp. Plans could change, but let's hope the Saints aren't overextending themselves with these international ambitions.

This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Reports: Saints eyeing France, Monaco for future minicamp practices