Buccaneers not among three 2016 London games announced today

It looks like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won't be heading to London next season. The NFL announced three London games today: a week four matchup between the Indianapolis Colts and Jacksonville Jaguars, a week seven matchup between the St. Louis Rams and a yet-to-be-determined NFC East opponent, and a week eight opponent between Washington and the Cincinnati Bengals.

That doesn't mean the Bucs definitely won't play a game outside the USA next year. According to Ian Rapoport, the NFL is also pursuing a game in Mexico City for November 2016. With the Bucs having a major marketable star in Jameis Winston on their team, the NFL may want to capitalize on that sooner or later.

The last time the Bucs played in London was in 2011, when a 24-18 loss to the Chicago Bears turned out to be the beginning of the end for then head coach Raheem Morris. They haven't returned since, and have focused on growing attendance in Tampa and eliminating blackouts instead.

Still, with the NFL steadily expanding the number of international games every season, it's likely only a matter of time before the Bucs play a game outside Tampa -- especially with them using the right to do so as leverage in stadium funding negotiations.