Jones says nothing is standing in the way of Cowboys hosting another Super Bowl

The Super Bowl has not been to AT&T Stadium in Arlington since 2011 -- when Super Bowl XLV was “marred by a historical ice storm and a seating fiasco” -- but Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said that there is “no longer anything procedural or otherwise standing in the way of another Super Bowl at AT&T Stadium,” according to Clarence Hill Jr. of the FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM. Jones added that it is “just a matter of what NFL chooses to do now,” as there is “no longer a bidding process” to host the event. Previously, the NFL had a rule that teams considered as Super Bowl hosts “must also give up a home game and serve as host” of an International Series game. Hill noted Jones has “always refused the latter because home games are too lucrative for him and the Cowboys at AT&T Stadium.” Jones said that his facility was “among the sites considered for the 2027 Super Bowl” that was awarded to SoFi Stadium in L.A. on Wednesday by the NFL. He also said that AT&T Stadium “will be in consideration for future Super Bowls that have yet to be awarded.” And while everyone continues to point to the negative issues from the previous Super Bowl in Arlington, Jones said that the 2011 game is a “feather in the Cowboys' cap when it comes to future Super Bowls there” (FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 12/14).

A SUPER BOWL ROTA? SBJ’s Ben Fischer cited sources that “widely expect to see a reasonably tight rotation develop where almost all the Super Bowls go to the same small group of proven hosts:” L.A., New Orleans, Miami and Phoenix. Las Vegas “would join this group if all goes well in February.” Fischer wrote the league is trending this way for two reasons. The first, NFL stadiums in L.A. and Vegas open two “natural destinations that had been out of the question for decades.” Secondly, execs and owners have had “more than enough of cold-climate Super Bowls” in markets that “can’t promise the weather and hospitality assets required to optimize the experience.” Still, Fischer wrote the NFL will “never publicly commit to a formal rotation -- they’ll maintain maximum flexibility and leverage.” Fischer also noted there are situations where a rotation “doesn’t work.” For instance, the 49ers' home in Santa Clara is getting one in 2026 because “most others don’t want one the same year as the FIFA World Cup.” Also, the league would like to see how “cultural hotspot Nashville does with a new indoor stadium when it opens.” But most years, Fischer wrote it will be “one of those five” stadiums (Ben Fischer, SBJ).