Jerry Jones isn't looking to share his playground. Despite comments from Dallas mayor Eric Johnson about the benefits of a second NFL team coming to the city, the Cowboys owner made it clear yesterday that neither he or the league would support that endeavor.
Back in May, Johnson proposed the idea of Dallas getting a second football team. He cited that Los Angeles and New York both have two teams and that his city is about to become the 3rd-largest metropolitan in the United States.
Additionally, the mayor noted that football is bigger in Texas than either California or New York. He clearly believes that Dallas has the infrastructure to successfully support two NFL franchises.
No surprise; Jerry Jones has strong feelings on this topic.
In a discussion with media yesterday, Jones didn't hold back on the idea of a second Dallas team or the man who proposed it:
“Well, I like the mayor. 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.”
“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.”
While it's easy to assume Jerry's just being selfish and proprietary about his dominion in Dallas, he's also a businessman who hasn't been afraid to help his competitors at times. Jones was heavily involved in the work behind SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, which eclipsed his own stadium as the NFL's crowning jewel, and has been at the forefront of business deal which have helped the entire league's economy explode since the 1990s.
Still, making money for the league eventually comes back to the Jones family. And while they may not mind growing the game in other markets and aspects, supporting another team in Dallas is an entirely different scenario.
Only business analysts can truly say what a second NFL team in Dallas would mean and if the foundation is there. But based on Jerry Jones' comments and his influence in the league, it sounds like it would only happen over his dead body.
