Dallas’ Mayor Wants Another NFL Team, Jerry Jones Says No Way

Dallas is a big city, but when it comes to football teams, Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones thinks two is a crowd.

In May, Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson tweeted about the size of his growing city, which he believes makes “Big D” a deserving location for the next NFL expansion franchise.

“We are about to pass the Chicago metro and become the #3 metro in the US, which would make us the largest US metro WITHOUT 2 teams. Football is king here. Dallas needs an expansion team and we would be able to sustain 2,” Johnson tweeted. “So, if a deal can be made that benefits the NFL, the other owners, the City of Dallas, and possibly the Cowboys, it’s a no brainer. But here’s the rub: if it benefits all of the stakeholders I just mentioned except Jerry Jones, does that mean a deal couldn’t/shouldn’t happen? I’m not so sure and it’s my job as mayor to ask these types of questions when my city and its residents stands to benefit. I’m both a sports fan and a lover of Dallas. If LA and NY can both support a NFC and an AFC team, then Dallas, the capital of football, surely can!”

Johnson’s plan would have the hypothetical expansion franchise actually play its games within the city limits of Dallas. As opposed to sharing a stadium with the Cowboys in Arlington. Johnson also explained why he believes Jerry Jones should not fear a second NFL franchise in Dallas.

 

AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

“Jerry Jones owns the crown jewel of the NFL,” Johnson tweeted. “I don’t think the Lakers or Yankees are bothered one bit by the existence of the Clippers or Mets. Cowboys are a stronger brand with a more global fan base than either of these two. You’re underestimating Jerry Jones AND DALLAS!”

In an interview with Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News, Jones advised against the mayor’s two-team idea, arguing that another franchise would “water down” the value the Cowboys bring to the area and the NFL.

Dallas Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones (Getty Images)

“Well, I like the mayor,” Jones told Watkins. “I like him personally, but he doesn’t have the depth. He doesn’t have the knowledge that others have regarding how unique Dallas is and how we enjoy the interest in the Cowboys. He wouldn’t want to water that down as it relates to Dallas if he knew as much, and has spent as much time in sports as I have.”

Jones asserted that the mayor need not worry about adding another team. The NFL will not allow that to happen.

“That’s correct,” Jones said. “That is correct. . . . You can be rest assured that you would not have the NFL supporting another team because of the kind of value that the game and the NFL receives of having [the] Dallas Cowboys as one of its marquee teams and again, logic tells you [the NFL] wouldn’t want to water that down.”

Jones is one of the longest-serving and most influential owners in the NFL, and he heads the richest franchise in all of pro sports, valued at $6.5 billion. So it’s safe to say he would be persuasive in getting other owners to block putting another franchise in his backyard.