Cowboys Owner Breaks From Goodell’s Vision
Roger Goodell has said it more than once: the NFL is going global, and Europe is next. Jerry Jones isn’t so sure.
The Dallas Cowboys owner pushed back on the idea of an expansion franchise overseas during an appearance on Dallas radio this week. “I don’t know about an expansion,” Jones said. “I see the games continuing like they are.” He didn’t rule out international football entirely, but made clear he sees the current international game series, not new franchises, as the league’s actual growth engine.
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24 Years Without a New Team
Jones’ skepticism matters because of where the league stands. The NFL hasn’t added a franchise since Houston joined in 2002, a stretch of 24 years that is already the longest gap between expansions since the merger era began in 1970. Before that drought, teams arrived in bursts: 1976, 1995, 1999, then 2002. Nothing since.
That history is part of why Jones sounds unconvinced. Without expansion, the only way to plant a franchise in London or anywhere else in Europe would be relocation, which carries its own political and financial baggage back home. Jones called that scenario “pretty far” off, if it happens at all.
London Remains the Front-Runner
If the NFL does eventually cross the Atlantic with a permanent team, London stays the most logical landing spot. Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Wembley have hosted NFL games for years and could realistically support two franchises on their own. The league has leaned on those venues repeatedly to test the market, and both have delivered strong crowds and ticket revenue every time.
Goodell’s certainty hasn’t wavered publicly, but Jones, one of the sport’s most influential owners, just made clear that certainty isn’t unanimous in the room. Where that leaves the league’s European ambitions is anyone’s guess for now.
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