Dallas is synonymous with the Cowboys, but the mayor of Dallas says another NFL team should play in his city.
Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson tweeted that Dallas is the city most deserving of an NFL expansion team, and in a series of tweets after that explained his reasoning.
“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 idea is for this hypothetical expansion team to play in the city of Dallas, not to share AT&T Stadium in Arlington with the Cowboys. Jerry Jones surely wouldn’t want to share the Dallas area with another team, but Johnson thinks it could work.
“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!”
At the moment, this is nothing more than a pipe dream from the mayor. But the NFL always loves hearing from government officials who want NFL teams in their communities, because it provides leverage for negotiations in the communities that currently house NFL teams. Every time an NFL team wants taxpayers to help pay for one of its new stadiums, that NFL team is glad to point out that there’s a mayor of another big city who would love a team to move there.