Jerry Jones isn’t ready to sign off on the NFL planting a permanent flag overseas.
While commissioner Roger Goodell has sounded increasingly certain that the league will one day add an international franchise, the Cowboys owner and general manager pushed back on that idea Tuesday during an interview with 105.3 The Fan.
“I don’t know about an expansion,” Jones said. “I see the games continuing like they are.
And I see the ethos, if you will, of the game, the story of the game really expanding all over the world. But fundamentally, to have an expansion team, probably is pretty far.
If it’s here, it’s in the future.”
Goodell had again opened the door to the possibility last week, telling Prime Video that the NFL could eventually have more than one team based in another country. He pointed to Europe as a logical fit, and ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that league executives identified London as an “overwhelming favorite” if that day comes.
The UK is set to host three more games next month, with Wembley Stadium and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium serving as the two realistic venues. One AFC executive told Fowler that the setup in London is already so developed that the trip is nearly routine.
“Traveling there is pretty turnkey at this point, and they have developed the infrastructure in place over the last decade,” the executive said. “You almost don’t need a bye week after playing there.”
Executives also named Berlin, Toronto, and Mexico City as other possible landing spots if the league ever goes down that road.
For now, though, the NFL isn’t placing a franchise in any of those cities. The Cowboys are the ones heading overseas this week, with Dallas set to face the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday in the league’s first game in Rio de Janeiro and its third in Brazil.
Jones said he’d actually prefer to see the Cowboys play in Mexico. He also acknowledged that these international trips are part of the price teams pay to help the league keep growing.
“I do. This was our time to go,” Jones said.
“We have kind of a schedule of when teams need to play internationally, and this was our time. So, I’m good with it.”
In Other News...
Ravens Face A Real Problem Ahead Of Rio Showdown With Cowboys
The NFLs first regular-season game in Rio de Janeiro is set to bring the Cowboys and Ravens to Maracan Stadium on Sept. 27, but the buildup has already taken on an unusual tone because of the playing surface. Heavy rain, heat and a packed soccer calendar have left the grass in poor condition, creating the kind of backdrop that can alter how a game unfolds before either team takes a snap.
For Dallas, the setting adds another layer to an early-season matchup that already matters, since both clubs enter at 1-1. The league plans to move ahead anyway, and the field is expected to be part of the story in a game that could look and feel very different from a typical September Sunday. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Defense Suddenly Has A Ravens Problem Fans Need To Watch
Dallas got a clearer look at its defensive health picture on the Week 3 injury report, and it comes at a time when the Ravens are looming on the schedule. Cobie Durant, Malik Hooker, P.J. Locke, DeMarvion Overshown and James Houston all showed up on the report, giving the Cowboys another reminder that the secondary and linebacker depth is still very much in flux heading into a tough matchup.
Brian Schottenheimers updates only sharpened the concern. Overshown is a low-probability play because of a hamstring injury, Locke is working back from plantar fasciitis with a possible return within four weeks, and Durant is still rehabbing his own hamstring issue. Hooker, meanwhile, remains sidelined while recovering from a fractured forearm and is not expected back this week, leaving Dallas with more questions than answers as it tries to get its defense ready for Baltimore. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Face An Unusual Early Test Before Ravens Showdown
The Cowboys are heading into an unusual early-season routine this week, one that starts with work in Frisco and ends with a trip to Rio de Janeiro for their Week 3 meeting with the Ravens at Maracan Stadium. It will be Dallas first regular-season International Series game since 2014, giving the team a rare overseas backdrop for a game that already carries plenty of attention.
Dallas is scheduled to practice at home before departing Thursday night, then go through a light session in Rio before the matchup. After the game, the Cowboys are set to return to Fort Worth on Monday morning, so the challenge is not just Baltimore on the field but managing a long road trip wrapped around one of the leagues most unusual showcase weekends. [Read more 🡒]