The future of the league's Vegas expedition remains a hot topic with the deal to take NRL games to the party strip set to expire in 2028.
The NRL has begun looking at extending that tenure, while also considering if another American game could be added to the calendar as part of a global round.
Miami looms as the most likely option with a time zone advantage for such a round and rugby league having a strong grassroots system in Florida.
But USA Rugby League chair Matt Goschnick maintains there are two strong options for the NRL elsewhere.
"The economy of California is bigger than some countries in the world. And that's one state," Goschnick told AAP.
"From a population point of view, the NRL hasn't even captured that amount of people in Australia. That's just population, it's comparable with Australia.
"There is at least rugby league activity in California. There is not in Vegas. It's a party town and a lot of people can get flights in.
"But in Los Angeles or California there are people on the ground we can lean into."
The other advantage for California, Goschnick believes, is it could put the NRL on the ground for courses to assist coaches and referees, with seven top-tier teams in the state.
Then there is Texas.
"They've got some phenomenal athletes there. That's an untapped market there if you do it right," Goschnick said.
"(Former USA captain) Mark Offerdahl is based in Texas. (Ex-Newcastle forward) Cory Paterson who is assistant coach of our national team is based out of Texas.
"Cory does some work with Texas A&M (as an assistant coach in rugby)."
There is no doubt the NRL's Vegas venture has been a success in Australia, adding hype to the start of the season and ensuring boom ratings at home.
But what impact it has had in the US is still up for debate.
Anecdotally, there is a belief the game's exposure has grown somewhat with more snippets appearing on sports talk shows in the US.
This weekend's Allegiant Stadium season openers between Newcastle and North Queensland along with Canterbury and St George Illawarra will again be shown on Fox Sports 2 in the US.
Three regular-season games each week, State of Origin matches and all finals are also shown on the network.
The USARL have also been able to strike a deal with National Collegiate Rugby this year, selecting All-Stars sides and bringing them into the league fold for the Vegas Nines.
But Goschnick says the bigger challenge is on the ground at grassroots level, believing the NRL could benefit from following the NFL's lead in their global expansion.
"You look at the NFL and what they are doing on the Gold Coast," Goschnick said.
"They are building an academy and funding it. They are investing into the game.
"The NFL is not just coming in and bringing games for the sake of bringing games. They are putting money in, they are putting staff in and expertise in."
Under the NFL model clubs are given different countries around the world to promote the game in, with seven countries outside of the US to host matches in 2026.
It is under that model the LA Rams will face San Francisco 49ers at the MCG later this year.
Partially funded academies have also been set up in London and the Gold Coast, aimed at providing a structured pathway to the NFL.
"Pete (V'landys) and Andrew (Abdo) did well during the COVID side of things, they've built a successful business model," Goschnick said.
"But there is only so far you can grow it within Australia based off the population boundaries and you're not going to get some of the market share.
"They have proven they can build a sustainable and successful model for the game, so it's how do we replicate it globally?"
33°C