We know the Los Angeles Rams will play eight home games at SoFi Stadium in 2020 after spending the last four years at the Coliseum. We also know which eight teams the Rams will host at their new stadium.
What hasn’t been determined is when each game will be played and which team will get the honors of facing the Rams in the first regular season matchup at SoFi Stadium. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has an idea, and it’s one that makes a lot of sense for the NFL, too.
He wants the Rams to host his Cowboys in the first regular-season game at SoFi Stadium, which is possible because Dallas is on the Rams’ schedule next season.
If it’s at all possible, Jerry Jones is hopeful the Cowboys can help open the new stadiums in both L.A. & Las Vegas.
It’s theoretically doable. They play @ the Rams in 2020, and they could schedule a preseason game against the Raiders.
— David Helman (@HelmanDC) February 27, 2020
Jones is one of the most influential owners in the NFL and actually has connections to SoFi Stadium. He was a big part of moving the Rams back to L.A. from St. Louis, with a lawsuit even claiming Jones conspired with owner Stan Kroenke. Jones also helped push the deal forward for the Rams, Chargers and Raiders to get new stadiums. Additionally, his company Legends negotiated the naming rights agreement with SoFi.
It’s not unreasonable for Jones to want his team to play the first regular-season game at the new venue, which is more than 85% completed. Whether his wish will be granted by the NFL remains to be seen, but Jones has some pull – just probably not with the schedule makers.
The Rams and Cowboys do have some recent history, squaring off three times since the start of the 2017 season – including a divisional round matchup in the 2018 playoffs.
The Cowboys played the first preseason game after the Rams moved back to Los Angeles in 2016, which set an attendance record for the preseason. And when the two teams squared off last preseason in Hawaii, tickets sold out in less than a day.
So there would be no shortage of interest if the Rams were to host the Cowboys in the stadium-opening game.