Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson believes that the growth of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and the residents’ love of football make the region a top pick for a second team. Citing the reality that Los Angeles and New York — neither of which are big-time football cities — both currently have two football teams, Johnson stated his opinion that Dallas could support an AFC team to complement the Dallas Cowboys.
Replying to a tweet from the NFL on CBS account asking what city most deserves an expansion team, Johnson responded, “the answer is Dallas.”
The answer is Dallas. Why? 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 @NFL teams better than LA or NY. https://t.co/ikG0oeZq4T
— Mayor Eric Johnson (@Johnson4Dallas) May 5, 2022
“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 NFL teams better than LA or NY,” Johnson tweeted.
Responding to Bud Kennedy, a journalist with The Fort Worth Star-Telegram who called for any opportunity to be seized by Dallas or Fort Worth over Frisco, Johnson said that getting the team within the Metro limits would be a priority.
“The City of Dallas won’t be allowing any more teams who don’t actually have any of their assets located within our city limits use our name,” Johnson tweeted.
He also mentioned that the two existing teams he sees as viable options for the move would be the Los Angeles Chargers and the Jacksonville Jaguars, both of which have struggled with low attendance at games in recent years.
Bringing an AFC team to the region would offer an in-state rivalry for the AFC Houston Texans and potentially provide an all-Dallas Super Bowl contest.
According to Johnson, the biggest reason Dallas is seen as off the table for an expansion team is Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. CBS Sports says Jones has the right to determine whether an expansion team would be approved in the region.
“So far the main reason I hear for why this can’t happen is because of Jerry Jones,” Johnson tweeted. “Well, first, let’s not put words in Mr. Jones’s mouth. Second, I work for the residents of Dallas, not Jerry Jones. Third, other NFL team owners also do not work for Jerry Jones, but themselves.”
The Houston Texans are the NFL’s most recent expansion team and have yet to find any level of marked success since joining the NFL in 2002. Numerous bad draft picks and the inability to win close games while relying on less-than-stellar talent have prevented the team from making the jump from expansion team to established performer.
Many roadblocks would potentially stand in the way for either the Chargers or Jaguars to move to Dallas. The Chargers just entered into a 20-year lease as a partner with the Los Angeles Rams to occupy the newly-built SoFi Stadium, while the Jaguars have similar contractual obligations in Jacksonville, including a training facility currently under construction.
“It’s my job as mayor to ask these types of questions when my city and its residents stands (sic) to benefit,” Johnson wrote. “I’m both a sports fan and a lover of Dallas. If LA and NY can both support an NFC and an AFC team, then Dallas, the capital of football, surely can!”
