Jerry Jones Skeptical NFL Will Put a Permanent Team Overseas

The Cowboys owner said he expects international games to continue but called a full expansion team abroad a distant possibility.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Tuesday that he does not see the NFL placing an expansion team outside the United States anytime soon. Speaking on the 105.3 The Fan morning show with Shan Shariff and RJ Choppy, Jones addressed the topic while discussing the Cowboys' Week 2 win over Washington and their upcoming game against Baltimore.

Jones said he supports playing games internationally, noting he favors Mexico in particular because the Cowboys already have a fan base there. Dallas is scheduled to play its Week 3 home game in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Sunday. But on the question of a permanent franchise abroad, he was far less enthusiastic.

"I don't know about an expansion. I see the games continuing like they are," Jones said, adding that while the game's story is expanding worldwide, an expansion team is "probably pretty far" off if it happens at all.

His comments contrast with those of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who told German outlet RTL/ntv last month that there will be NFL teams outside the USA at some point and that he has no doubt it will happen one day. Former player Boomer Esiason predicted last year that a four-team NFL Europe division could arrive as early as 2028.