Report: Rams will play Patriots in '12 London game

The St. Louis Rams are headed abroad to play a regular-season game in 2012.

Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that sources say the Rams will have one of their home games moved from the Edward Jones Dome to the United Kingdom. Rams owner Stan Kroenke also owns Arsenal, a soccer club in the English Premier League.

Interestingly, Thomas says this could be the first game in what could be a “multi-year agreement” for the Rams to play abroad. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in October when the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers played at Wembley Stadium that the league was exploring having a team or teams play there on a regular basis to build fan interest.

The Buccaneers have recently said they don’t want to continue playing in the U.K. after playing there two of the last three seasons. The NFL is also looking to expand to perhaps have two regular-season games in the U.K. a season, one of the platforms Goodell is pushing strongly.

Per Thomas, the Rams would play the New England Patriots in the game, ensuring the NFL would have one marquee club to market overseas for the event.

Follow me on Twitter: @BradBiggs

Brad Biggs covers the Bears for the Chicago Tribune

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