From Houston to Tokyo to Orlando: The Unbelievable Journey of the NFL’s Newest Franchise, the Orlando Shamrocks
April 27, 2025 – By Jerrius I'jarrius
In one of the most bizarre and globe-trotting stories in NFL history, the team once known as the Houston Texans has completed a historic transformation — not just in name, but in culture, geography, and identity. What started as a temporary relocation due to stadium construction has blossomed into one of the most talked-about stories in professional sports.
After years of declining attendance and an aging stadium, the Texans announced in late 2024 that they would be building a brand-new state-of-the-art facility — but not in Houston. Instead, the franchise shocked fans and analysts alike by revealing they were moving operations to Orlando, Florida, where a new NFL fan base was eager to welcome a team of their own.
But there was a catch: the new stadium wouldn’t be ready until 2026.
In a move that stunned the sports world, the team made the bold (some might say wild) decision to temporarily relocate to Tokyo, Japan for the 2025 season. Rebranded as the Tokyo Dragons after a global fan vote, the team took the league’s international ambitions to a whole new level.
"Football in Tokyo was surreal," said head coach Demeco Ryans. “The fans were electric, the culture was incredible, and the energy in the Tokyo Dome made it feel like a Super Bowl every Sunday. It made me chuckle how they pronounced it 'Supah-Bow,' it was a great time.”
The Dragons embraced the international spotlight, even winning over Japanese fans with community events, bilingual broadcasts, and Tokyo-themed uniforms complete with dragon-scaled accents and crimson trim. Though they finished the season just outside the playoff picture, they left an unforgettable mark on the NFL’s global footprint.
With the Tokyo chapter closed, the franchise finally landed in its permanent home in Orlando, Florida, unveiling their new identity: the Orlando Shamrocks.
Gone are the deep steel blues of Houston or the fire-red flare of Tokyo. The Shamrocks have gone full emerald — debuting sleek Celtic green uniforms with silver trim, matching their brand-new silver helmets emblazoned with a bold, stylized shamrock logo. The color scheme is sharp, fresh, and meant to symbolize both a new beginning and a little Irish-inspired luck.
“The Shamrocks are more than just a new name — it’s a complete rebirth,” said team owner Mikey Mike. “We’re proud of our history in Houston, thankful for our time in Tokyo, and absolutely fired up about our future in Orlando.”
Now, with their new home nearly complete and the 2026 NFL Draft around the corner, the Shamrocks are ready to make noise.
Armed with a top-10 draft pick and several high-value assets from trades made during their Tokyo season, Orlando’s front office is expected to be aggressive in building a roster that reflects their bold identity. Fans are already speculating about a potential franchise quarterback, with college stars lining up as possible future faces of the franchise.
General Manager Phat Dumpy summed it up best: “We’ve been the Texans. We’ve soared as the Dragons. But now we are reborn as the Shamrocks — and we’re so excited to get started.”
The journey from Houston to Tokyo to Orlando might seem improbable — but in today’s NFL, where anything can happen, the Shamrocks have already proven they’re ready to break boundaries. One thing’s for sure: when the 2026 season kicks off in Orlando’s brand-new stadium, all eyes will be on the silver and green.
Ready to rock the NFL, the Orlando Shamrocks are no longer a wild story — they’re the league’s boldest new reality.
Offensive lineman Luke Wypler has been chosen as the Bills nominee for the 2023 Walter Payton Man oif the Year Award.
The Man of the Year Award, named after the late Chicago Bears Hall of Fame running back, Walter Payton, recognizes players for their dedication to the community and their play on the field. One player from all 32 teams, who has a positive impact on his community, is selected as a nominee and will receive up to $40,000 donated to the charity of their choice.
In the NFL, it's often said that some things are bigger than football. For Luke Wypler, that could not be more true.
Luke has been active in charity work since his highschool football days. Born and raised on the border of New York in Montvale, New Jersey, Luke volunteered at Rockland Children's Psychiatric Center. Luke stated "I didn't really know how to help at first, because I didn't really have any money, so I just showed up and did a little of everything to help out." According to staff there, Luke would come in and talk to the children, be a big brother to them, and even whip up snacks for everyone; "He was a ray of sunshine in their cloudy world."
But Luke hasn't stopped there. While playing at Ohio State, where he was a 2 year starter as a Center for the Buckeyes, he continued his charitable streak by helping out the local children's hospital. In fact, Wypler donated his entire NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) check to Nationwide Children's Hospital.
As posted in the Columbus Dispatch: "I read a comment from you, that one reason you are really a fan of what the NCAA has ruled in terms of NIL is that it will allow you to contribute to Columbus charities. Which charities are important to you?"
"One of the ones I really want to (support) is Nationwide Children's Hospital here in Columbus. I know that's a really big one and a common one for most people, but I think that offers so much help for kids, and most of them are Buckeye fans. We see a lot of them come through the facility a lot to hang out with us. So that's one I really want to give back to. And a few of the local food banks where we've helped out in the past, I'd really like to give back to them."
As a member of an Elite Buffalo Bills roster which saw them achieve their first Super Bowl appearance in nearly 30 years, Luke Wypler gave up only 3 sacks in nearly 700 snaps as a rookie. Luke won the starting job during preseason and went on to be a dominant interior lineman for an electrifying Buffalo offense. The entire offensive unit in 2023 was as dominant on the field as they are charitable off of it.
Last year's Walter Payton nominee for the Bills was Left Tackle Dion Dawkins. When asked about Luke, Dion had this to say, "Luke is amazingly kind and active within this community. We all have charity work we do through the NFL, and even some for our own foundations, but Luke is always doing something every single day. Luke visits the Children's Hospital every single week, even during the season. He loves those kids. He's inspiring. Anyone can donate money, but Luke donates more than that, Luke donates his time and he puts his entire soul into it."
Luke Wypler donated nearly his entire rookie signing bonus of $1.04M to Oishei's Childrens Hospital of Buffalo after being drafted by the Bills in 2023.
Luke may be young and may also be new to the Buffalo area, but he's no stranger to good will, and the city has embraced his big and lovable personality as well as his generosity.
The NFL off-season has come and gone, but with it has come some new additions who intend to stay. Here's all you need to know about the Buffalo Bills Offseason.
After being dominated by the New England Patriots for nearly 20 years, the AFC East has belonged to the Buffalo Bills for the past 3 seasons. In that time, the Bills' division rivals have brought in new faces at QB which hasn't proven to put up enough of a fight for this resilient Buffalo outfit. However, with the Miami Dolphins bringing in exciting WRs for QB Tua Tagovailoa who is now coming into his own, and the New York Jets making a blockbuster trade to bring in Jacksonville's QB Trevor Lawrence, the AFC East title might turn into more of a fist fight this season than it has in recent memory.
Even with new challengers looming however, the Bills are still hyper-focused on fixing their playoff football. To that end, they need to tighten up on defense, and bring in some new weapons for QB Josh Allen who just received his well-earned payday.
Speaking of tightening up, the Bills need to be extra vigilant with their wallet this off-season. Keeping Josh in Buffalo long-term is fantastic for this city and its fans, but his new contract accounts for over a seventh of the team's budget with a hefty cap figure of ~$39.8MM in 2024.
The Bills will seek to bring in veteran experience, explosive youth prospects, and depth at key positions: all on the cheap. With the way things have been trending in Free Agency lately, this will be no small task.
The following Buffalo Bills players are set to leave One Bills Drive.
Retirees:
WR Cole Beaseley
HB Taiwan Jones
QB Case Keenum
OG Greg Van Roten
Released:
TE Quintin Morris
TE Reid Ferguson
ILB Baylon Spector
DT Cortez Broughton
DT Eli Ankou
Free Agents:
RB Devin Singletary
G Bobby Hart
G Ike Boettger
OT Justin Murray
OT David Quessenberry
WR Jamison Crowder
WR Jake Kumerow
WR Isiah McKenzie
TE Tommy Sweeney
DE Shaq Lawson
DE Jordan Phillips
LB Tyrel Dodson (RFA)
ILB Tyler Matakevich
CB Cam Lewis
CB Dane Jackson (RFA)
FS Jordan Poyer
SS Dean Marlowe
S Jaquan Johnson
P Sam Martin
Resigned:
ILB Tremaine Edmunds
Tremaine had been struggling the past few years with making the right reads, shooting the correct gap, and even if that did go well, he would often fail to wrap up the ball-carrier. The 2023 season was a marked improvement for the 24 year old. Edmunds barely missed a tackle in 2022, and 2023 saw him improve on his coverage capabilities which takes some pressure off of Matt Milano. The question turned from 'will they re-sign him' to 'how much will they pay him?' Our answer is a 6 year, $62.4MM deal with a roughly $10MM cap hit for each following year. The Bills have turned their young piece of coal into a blossoming diamond and they intend to keep him in Buffalo into his 30's.
OLB AJ Klein
AJ also extends his stay in Buffalo, this time for three more years on a $1MM/y contract albeit for different reasons. If Tremaine's contract was about securing youth and talent, Klein's contract is about ensuring good tutelage for the aforementioned. AJ is expected to fill an emergency depth role while also guiding the youthful Bills defensive unit towards a stronger work ethic and trusting the process, a motto you've assuredly heard Coach McDermott talk about once or twice.
With four retirements, five cuts, and nineeen further departures, the retaining of only two defensive options leaves the Bills with a lot of work to do in Free Agency and the upcoming NFL Draft.
With Devin Singletary deciding to test the open market, the Bills are left with Nyheim Hines, James Cook, and Duke Johnson in the backfield. Nyheim will look to expand his role in the offense this year with a full season ahead of him, but he is far from a three down back. James Cook has shown some glimpses of brilliance, but cannot provide the type of power running many would like to see the Bills employ to run out games.
The Bills will also need to target offensive line in order to continue to protect their signal caller and open up channels for the run game. RT Spencer Brown isn't panning out like many have hoped, LG Rodger Saffold is an important part of the run game but is severely outmatched in passing scenarios, and C Mitch Morse isn't getting any younger either. Luckily LT Dion Dawkins seems set on proving he's a top Left Tackle in this league and will look to anchor this line going forward with two more years left on his deal.
With the decision to bring back Tremaine and with so many holes left to fill, the Bills were unable to come to terms with SS Jordan Poyer, who was instrumental in keeping the Bills secondary firing on all cylinders in these most recent playoffs. When asked about how it felt that the Bills were unable to offer a contract that Jordan so deserved after being part of an iconic safety duo for over 5 years he merely stated "It stinks. You know, the salary cap is a tough beast. Poyer isn't the first cap casualty this season and he probably won't be the last."
With Poyer gone and S Micah Hyde nearing the end of his deal, Safety should be a major target for the Buffalo Bills. Another target, although maybe less important, is wide receiver. Diggs is still just as elite as ever, but WR Gabriel Davis didn't seem to make the leap that the Bills were hoping for this year. Gabe will look to improve upon his lackluster season, but it's apparent that even with the weapons at Josh Allen's disposal, you can never go wrong with some more. The Bills should look to add depth and perhaps some speed to the receiving corps to help Stefon stretch the field.
The Buffalo Bills Front Office wasted no time in snapping up depth and experience when the Free Agency Period opened. GM Brandon Beane and the Bills acquired the signatures of fourteen free agents.
Veterans and Mentors:
QB Nick Foles, $2.6MM over 2 years
OG Oday Aboushi, $3MM over 2 years
OT Dennis Kelly, $3.4MM over 2 years
RB Brandon Bolden, $3MM over 2 years
WR T.Y. Hilton, $5MM over 2 years
TE Aaron Brewer, $2.4MM over 2 years
DT Akeem Spence, $2.2MM over 2 years
DE Nick Williams, $3MM over 2 years
ILB Jon Bostic, $3.8MM over 2 years
CB Nickell Robey-Coleman, $4.6MM over 2 years
S Chris Banjo, $1.8MM over 2 years
Late Additions:
TE Kyle Rudolph, $1.45MM over 1 year
WR Mohamed Sanu Sr., $950k over 1 year
SS Kareem Jackson, $2.15MM over 1 year
Youth and Depth:
The Buffalo Bills also brought in some young LB's to add depth to a severely weakened LB group.
ILB Ulysees Gilbert III, $2.6MM over 2 years
ILB Khalan Tolson, $4MM over 4 years
Both of these players are natural Inside Linebackers, however they can line up on the Outside or on the line as needed. Their versatility was thought to be a big consideration to bringing them into the fold. Their speed didn't hurt, either. To round out Free Agency, the Bills also signed a Punter to replace the departing Sam Martin.
P Jamie Gillan, $4.4MM over 4 years
Trades:
A move that saw the Buffalo Bills trade DE A.J. Epenesa away to the Steelers came as a shock to many. Epenesa saw a substantial increase in playing time this past year, and under the tutelage of DE Von Miller, it was plain to see the heaps of progress that Epenesa was making. However, with doubling up on pass rushers in 2022 with DE Rousseau and DE Basham Jr, the Bills cashed in on AJ's much more noticeable potential.
In a complicated swap, the Bills sent Epenesa and draft picks to the Pittsburgh Steelers in return for a handful of early draft picks.
Buffalo receives:
Pittsburgh receives:
The Buffalo Bills enter the NFL draft with many of the same positional holes that were present at the end of the regular season. The Bills looked to not only use their newfound draft picks to fill positions of need, but to use their unique position to trade down and acquire more draft capital.
Draft Picks:
The Bills enter the draft with the following draft capital.
Trades:
The Bills, after trading up for the 17th pick, ended up trading down with Miami in the first round.
Miami receives:
Buffalo receives:
The Bills later moved up from the 49th overall pick to the 40th overall pick by way of Atlanta
Atlanta receives:
Buffalo receives:
Selections:
Round 1, Pick 21: EDGE Bill Ojulari, LSU, 21
Round 2, Pick 1: HB Jahmyr Gibbs, Alabama, 22
Round 2, Pick 8: WR Kayshon Boutte, LSU, 21
Round 3, Pick 14: C Luke Wypler, OSU, 22
Round 3, Pick 28: LT Ryan Hayes, Michigan, 22
Round 5, Pick 3: S DeMarcco Hellams, Alabama, 22
Round 5, Pick 28: WR Dontay Demus Jr., Maryland, 23
The 2024 Buffalo Bills has a lot of new faces, but many of the starting talent is still the same as it was last year. The Bills brought in a slew of veterans to help strengthen a youthful and hungry roster. With some behind the scenes work, raw talent was turned into extra draft picks, which were then cashed in further and with interest. The Buffalo Bills had five picks in the first three rounds and used them to great effect.
Many thought the Bills would target S Brian Branch in the first round, and perhaps they were, but trading down four picks was enough to lose out on him to the Buccaneers and the 19th pick. Instead, the Bills went edge rusher (again) which will allow Von Miller to take his time coming back from his ACL injury.
The second round saw Buffalo load up on offensive weapons for Josh Allen. HB Gibbs is perhaps not the power back they were hoping for, but he has the tools to play all three downs for the Bills and that should be more than enough to make an impact on the team. WR Kayshon Boutte showcased great route running, better hands, and good speed - he should be able to plug right in to the Bills offense as their starting slot receiver come Week 1.
Round 3 saw a run on offensive line talent, and the Bills were not going to be left behind. With ten offensive lineman coming off the board, the Bills secured Rodger Saffold's hopeful replacement in C Luke Wypler from Ohio State, and an instant starter in LT Ryan Hayes from Michigan. Hopefully the two can quickly leave their college rivalry at the door and instead focus their efforts on protecting Josh Allen from their pass rushing counterparts.
With only two draft picks left and both of them coming in the Fifth Round, the Bills still had plenty of holes to plug. A run on Safeties occurred before their first of two Fifth Round selections and being desperate for some secondary help, the Bills took S DeMarcco Hellams from Alabama. At 6'1" 208lbs, Demarcco has the size and speed for the position, but there are many question marks considering his physical conditioning. His NFL combine saw him produce a mediocre bench press, a lackluster vertical jump, and he will need to spend extra time at the jugs machine after practices as he has difficulty tracking the deep ball.
The Bills rounded out their draft in the bottom of the Fifth Round and selected Maryland Terrapins' Dontay Demus Jr. who is tied for a school-record number of career touchdowns with 14. Do you know who the holds the other half of that record? Stefon Diggs. Standing at 6'4" tall and 215lbs, Dontay has a quick, long stride, good reach, and relishes catching passes in the intermediate part of the field. There is a slight durability conccern there, but his size, speed, and character were enough to take a flyer on him (no pun intended). Stefon has already reached out to Dontay on Twitter to welcome him to the Mafia.
Season Outlook:
With no real answer at Safety, the Bills once again looked to the free agent pool to find a serviceable starter. SS Kareem Jackson was brought in on a one year deal and will double as being a valuable mentor to Hellams and Damar Hamlin, who wishes to make his return but is still recovering from his sudden cardiac arrest that saw him carted off the field just a few months ago. The Bills look solid enough on the offensive side of the ball however. The Buffalo Bills look like real contenders, and they could be one or two trades away from solving their problem at safety, or adding some much needed interior defensive line help. The Bills are near the top favorites for winning the Super Bowl this year, and as is becoming usual around Western New York... the fans are hopeful and extremely excited for the season to start.
The Bills open the preseason away against the Carolina Panthers on August 12 at 8:00 PM.
After two stinging losses, many of the players have voiced their concerns about the team goals and their success. Leaders in the locker room such as Tremaine Edmunds, Tre'Davious White, Odell Beckham Jr., and Aaron Donald sat down with the coaching staff to discuss their concerns and to suggest a new dynamic. One may assume that this would be the beginning of the end for the newly formed NFL team, but the organization suggests differently.
Owner and Coach Mike DzK had this to say during a heated press conference just last night,
"Obviously, we're not happy where we're at. We've put a lot of effort and money into this organization and missing the playoffs would be incredibly backbreaking, but the players have put forth a lot of effort, too. As an NFL organization, we're a team from top to bottom. If we fail, we fail together. The players have some ideas that coincide with the coaching staffs'. As a manager, you hate to be brought problems without possible solutions, but it looks they have the solution all laid out and we've decided to move forward with it.
One of the more important issues that was brought up was all of the travel this team must do in order to play their games. The NFL has a logistics problem and the players know and feel it the most. Playing the AFC East this year has really racked up the teams' miles. With back-to-back away games at Buffalo and then in New York City, the team has had little rest, yet alone practice. Luckily, we yielded positive results, but that travel caught up with us yet again when we hosted the New England Patriots and fell short.
We have two home games where we hope to bounce back before finishing the season back out on the road. We've put in a complaint to the NFL about this. The distance needed to travel back and forth is ridiculous. There has to be a better way otherwise, why would anyone consider relocating their franchise elsewhere?"
Among the changes and the new direction the team is heading, the team also has a slightly new look to it. The players expressed that they want to feel comfortable in their playing gear and expressed concern over the restrictions the team has put on them in this area. The players want to dress how they want to and don't want to be restricted over which color tape they can use on their hands, and whether certain neck rolls are allowed or not. Owner Mike DzK has recently fired their PR Firm and allowed the players to change their jersey numbers and wear most any gear they want.
"It's ridiculous," said Frank Clark "but that era is over and now we can express ourselves out on the field." When asked what he will change, DE Frank Clark continued, "I have switched back to my old number and turned my helmet in for a Ridell TK Vintage 2 Bar Bull helmet design. It's the kind of helmet you see in the black and white films of the old days. It is certifiably bad ass."
There is sure to be a lot of new looks on the field when the Diablos take on the Washington Redskins at 1:00PM EST this Sunday, but here's a list of all the new jersey numbers to be worn going forward.
Aaron Donald #99
Will Tye #82
Frank Clark #55
Vita Vea #50
Tremaine Edmunds #49
Myles Jack #44
DeSean Moody #33
Vonn Bell #24
The team also said if you have any of these player's jerseys, you may bring them in to the Team Store and they will replace the jersey with the new ones. This offer is limited, however, and all returns must be made before the end of the regular season.
We're halfway through the regular season and most NFL fans would be worried for their team's 4-4 record, but fans of the Diablos aren't so concerned.
"4 wins, 4 losses. You would love to be 8-0, but the real goal is the playoffs. We're undefeated in the division. There's not one fan here that is doubting this team's talent or vision" said one excited Diablos fan in the New Orleans parking lot. Many other Mexico City fans share his sentiment, and there is quite a turnout of fans for this division rival road game.
"Most of D and F lot are full of us. We always make the trip for road games, especially for these tough rivalry games." said another fan in a crowd of red. It's an incredible sight. There are banners, pick up football games, and the smell of beans in the air. The Mexico City fans are here in force.
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The Diablos (3-0 Division) take on the New Orleans Saints (0-2 Division) in Louisiana tonight. With this win, the Diablos almost guarantee themselves the division title.
One factor to their success has been their ability to stay healthy. They have faired pretty well throughout the season as far as injuries are concerned. Losing DJ Chark, a young and promising WR, for the year to IR certainly hinders their offensive firepower, but the team doesn't seem too worried. Tyreek Hill had this to say on the matter, "Yeah, it sucks to lose DJ but Odell and I are still the focus of this offense and as long as we continue to be in sync, we should be able to carry the load."
And it's tough to argue with that logic. The Diablos like to air is out and with weapons like Odell Beckham Jr., Tyreek Hill, and Evan Engram, how could you say no? The running backs definitely play second fiddle to the passing game, but Matt Breida, Austin Ekeler, and Duke Johnson Jr are no slouches. Breida is averaging 5.3 YPC this year and has 2 rushing TD's to his name (and so does Duke).
While the Diablos offense might be the flashiest part of this team, the strongest is the Defense. The defense is stacked with a deadly combo of experience and youth. The leadership of Aaron Donald and Myles Jack has brought out the most of these young players. The rookie Thurman Hobbs (SS) is leading all rookies in tackles with 30 and he credits all of his success to Myles and Tre White. "These guys take the time every single day to teach the young guys. I've stayed late after practice to get some tips from Tre, and Myles comes in early to lift with me. These guys really want to make everyone around them better and I think that's why we're so strong defensively. We have a very strong bond and we want to play, and we want to win for each other."
To end, the Diablos have the support and the talent necessary to go the distance, but this game tonight is a huge test. The Diablos take on the Saints and look to lock up the division early.