Jerry Jones pumped the brakes on the NFL trending toward international expansion.
As the NFL continues to play more games overseas, the league could eventually establish permanent residency outside the United States. Commissioner Roger Goodell made it sound inevitable when saying last month that he has “no doubt” the league will one day establish an international team.
However, Jones isn’t convinced. Unlike Goodell, the Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager raised doubts about international NFL expansion.
“I don’t know about an expansion,” Jones told 105.3 The Fan on Tuesday. “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.”
Is international expansion inevitable?
Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
Goodell again addressed the possibility of international expansion last week, telling Prime Video last week that the NFL could welcome more than one franchise based in another country. He identified Europe as a sensible location.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, executives named London as an “overwhelming favorite” to land an NFL team. The United Kingdom will host three more games next month and has two viable hosts in Wembley Stadium and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
“Traveling there is pretty turnkey at this point, and they have developed the infrastructure in place over the last decade,” an AFC executive said. “You almost don’t need a bye week after playing there.”
Executives also chose Berlin, Toronto, and Mexico City as possible expansion destinations.
The NFL isn’t moving to any of those places yet, but the Cowboys will leave the U.S. this week. Dallas plays the Baltimore Ravens this Sunday in the NFL’s first game at Rio de Janeiro and third in Brazil.
When discussing the upcoming trip, Jones said he’d prefer for the Cowboys to play an international game in Mexico. He also agreed that international games are an inconvenience that teams must deal with to help grow the NFL.
“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.”
