Tag: AT&T Stadium

Bucs rookie Jake Camarda clangs punt off AT&T Stadium Jumbotron

Bucs rookie Jake Camarda connected with the digital board over the AT&T Stadium field

Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie Jake Camarda has a big leg.

The rookie punter, selected out of Georgia in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL draft, debuted Sunday at AT&T Stadium in Dallas as the Bucs played the Cowboys.

Camarda’s first punt delivered quite a thud as he connected with the digital board that hangs over the field.

Referee Ron Torbert quickly told those in attendance and watching on television it was as if there was an inadvertent whistle and the down would be replayed.

Big 12, AT&T Stadium agree to 2-year extension to host conference title game

AT&T Stadium and the Big 12 conference agreed on a two-year extension to keep the conference title game in Arlington through 2025.

AT&T Stadium and the Big 12 have agreed to extend on a contract extension that will keep the conference title game in Arlington, Texas, through the 2025 season.

The home of the Dallas Cowboys has been the host of the Big 12 championship game for each of the last seven title games dating back to 2009 and 2010 before conference realignment eliminated the need for a conference championship game, or so the Big 12 thought at the time.

Reinstated back in 2017, the Oklahoma Sooners were staples of the Big 12 championship from 2017 to 2020, where they won four straight games in AT&T Stadium to stretch their run of conference championships to six.

AT&T Stadium has become an important landmark in neutral site games since its opening in 2009, regularly hosting big nonconference matchups, Big 12 title games, the Cotton Bowl, and College Football Playoff national championship games. In 2021, the Arkansas Razorbacks and Texas A&M Aggies played their SEC matchup in AT&T stadium as part of the Southwest Classic, a throwback to the two teams’ days in the old Southwest Conference.

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NFL stadiums that will host 2026 FIFA World Cup matches

Here is a list of the NFL stadiums that will be hosting games during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

FIFA announced June 16 that the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be held in North America. The games will be the first time since 2002 that multiple nations will provide host cities.

Mexico will be hosting for the first time since 1986. The United States hosted in 1994. Canada gets its first crack at hosting the men’s tournament.

Of course, the United 2026 bid may not have prevailed if not for help from the NFL. With 11 of the 16 sites being the venues for NFL teams, it really helped make the case for bringing the FIFA World Cup to North America.

Here is a list of the NFL venues that will host games in 2026.

‘AT&T’s been rocking’: Cowboys look to keep visiting 49ers fans muted on Sunday

49ers fans drowned out the Rams’ crowd in LA on Sunday. The Cowboys hope to prevent a repeat performance at home this weekend. | From @ToddBrock24f7

America’s Team led all NFL clubs in home-game attendance for the 2021 season by a significant margin. Their average crowd size of over 93,000 fans per game beat the second-place franchise by over 15,000 people.

But the Cowboys know their opponents in this week’s playoff matchup have a fanbase that travels well, and the team’s taking measures to try to keep the 49ers faithful in the minority at AT&T Stadium on Sunday.

Owner Jerry Jones firmly believes that bigger is better, so as he and the team prepare to host the first round of the postseason, he’s looking to further increase the size of what already promises to be a sizable and raucous Cowboys crowd.

“It’ll be roaring. When that bunch cranks up, you have 90-something-thousand people,” Jones said Tuesday on Dallas radio station 105.3 The Fan. “We have to limit what we put on our standing-room-only [availability] out there, we have to limit that amount. But I’d like to push that 100,000 this week.”

The Cowboys hosted the largest regular-season crowd in NFL history- 105,121 fans- in September 2009. Super Bowl XLV, held at AT&T Stadium in 2011, drew 103,219. Other events over the years, like WrestleMania 32 in 2016, a George Strait concert in 2014, and the 2010 NBA All-Star Game, have all attracted crowds of over 100,000 as well.

The danger, though, is that the sheer spectacle of this Sunday’s game could prompt some ticketholders to sell their seats to visitors at a hefty profit, potentially turning the Cowboys’ stadium into a satellite venue for fans of the opposing team.

Shortly after the postseason pairings were announced, a photo made the rounds on social media showing a decidedly red-clad crowd at AT&T during Week 1 of the 2014 season.

The circumstances on that season-opening day were notably different; San Francisco was coming off an appearance in the NFC conference championship and, led by quarterback Colin Kaepernick, were early Super Bowl favorites. Dallas, on the other hand, was fresh off their third consecutive 8-8 finish and not forecasted to do much better in the 2014 campaign.

This coming Sunday, of course, sees a very different scenario, with quarterback Dak Prescott and the league’s top-ranked offense complemented by a revamped and opportunistic defense starring electric youngsters Micah Parsons and Trevon Diggs. The Cowboys are the No. 3 seed in the postseason bracket.

Head coach Mike McCarthy hopes his squad gives the home crowd- implored to dress in white by the Cowboys- plenty to cheer about: early, often, and loudly.

“Our crowd has been great, just the energy. I know that’ll be there. I love the white towels; that’s always a good thing,” McCarthy told reporters on Monday. “Just don’t want to see a lot of the other team, the other fans. That would be my preference. AT&T’s been rocking, and frankly, we have a big responsibility in that ourselves. We need to get out there and get going fast and get the crowd into the game. This is going to be a great afternoon.”

49ers fans made their presence felt at SoFi Stadium during their Week 18 clash with the Rams. Los Angeles coach Sean McVay and quarterback Matthew Stafford both remarked that crowd noise during their own offensive possessions made it difficult to call signals.

“It did catch us off-guard,” McVay told ESPN.

“It was a tough environment for us to communicate,” added Stafford, “in really the whole second half.”

Kristi Scales of the Dallas Morning News reported that ticket prices for this Sunday’s game more than tripled (on resale sites like SeatGeek and NFL Ticket Exchange) once the 49ers were announced as the Cowboys’ first-round opponent. That could hint at another San Francisco invasion.

The Cowboys know that the higher stakes of the playoffs will bring a passionate contingent from both fanbases to Arlington. And while he would prefer to see more blue (or white) than red on Sunday, Jones knows every fan in attendance will also be bringing plenty of green to spend at concession stands and in the merch shops.

“When you have the stadium the size that we have- which is easily the highest-attended stadium in the NFL- when you have a stadium the size of that, you’re going to have opposing jerseys in there, opposing fans, opposing colors,” Jones said. “I welcome it. I think it’s a great atmosphere.”

But Stephen Jones, the team’s executive vice president, reiterated that he hopes it’s an atmosphere dominated by the Cowboys’ own followers.

“I just can’t imagine you want to miss this one. This is why you get involved. This is why you want to be a season-ticket holder, a suite holder, a sponsor. This is what it’s all about, being in the tournament,” the younger Jones told 105.3 The Fan on Monday. “It’s going to be an amazing game, and I wouldn’t sell your tickets. I think I would show up, have a great time, and enjoy.”

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Report: Cowboys, NFL have discussed AT&T Stadium as Super Bowl backup site

The NFL always vets backup sites for the Super Bowl, but a rise in COVID cases could wreak havoc for this year’s game being played in L.A. | From @ToddBrock24f7

With COVID-19 and the Omicron variant continuing to affect every part of life in America and beyond, the NFL is still struggling through, too. Players and coaches alike have entered and been taken out of changing protocols, missing practices and games, and a few contests last month were even rescheduled after a handful of teams were hit especially hard.

But the league has also looked into a Texas-sized backup plan in case COVID restrictions infringe on the biggest unofficial American holiday of them all: Super Bowl Sunday.

Dallas ABC affiliate WFAA reports that the NFL has had an exchange with the Dallas Cowboys regarding AT&T Stadium as a replacement host site for Super Bowl LVI if needed. Mike Leslie of the station cites a source in the team’s front office in the report.

The championship game is currently slated to be played Feb. 13 at SoFi Stadium outside Los Angeles. There is nothing currently on the official schedule for that date at the Cowboys’ home venue in Arlington, which hosted Super Bowl XLV in early 2011.

According to the team source, Leslie writes, “the source did inquire about a date if [the] stadium is available. But that’s all I’ve ever heard. They could be just covering all options just in case.”

The league does, in fact, put together contingency plans for the Super Bowl every year, as per NFL vice president of communications Brian McCarthy (no relation to the Cowboys head coach). A general inquiry about the availability of AT&T Stadium, one of the nation’s largest in terms of capacity, would not be all that unusual as a matter of course.

Officials with the City of Arlington reportedly reached out to the NFL last month as COVID cases spiked, offering AT&T as an option if necessary.

But McCarthy says the plan remains to play the game as scheduled in Los Angeles.

“As part of our standard contingency planning process that we conduct for all regular and postseason games,” he is quoted as saying, “we have contacted several clubs to inquire about stadium availability in the event we cannot play the Super Bowl as scheduled due to weather-related issues or unforeseen circumstances.”

A dramatic rise in COVID cases would certainly qualify as one of those circumstances. Numbers are up all over the country, including California. Over 70,000 fans attended Week 17’s Chargers home game at SoFi, but as Leslie writes, “there are concerns that greater restrictions may be elevated in coming weeks and, coincidentally, just in advance of the Super Bowl.”

AT&T Stadium has stepped in before in an emergency capacity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year’s Rose Bowl was moved from Pasadena to Arlington due to attendance restrictions under California law.

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A&M on upset alert against Hogs this weekend?

Texas A&M hasn’t lost to Arkansas since 2011 but that could change on Saturday in front of a national televised audience on CBS.

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Texas A&M is undefeated and ranked No. 7 in the country coming into Saturday’s showdown at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.

The Aggies have won nine straight in the series against Arkansas but haven’t faced a ranked Razorback team in this game since 2016.

One college football scribe thinks that A&M better take Arkansas seriously to avoid ruining its season before the calendar changes to October.

Zach Calzada has only played 1.5 games so far and defensive coordinator Barry Odom has been known in the past to royally confuse inexperienced quarterbacks with his schemes and blitz packages.

When the game is played in Jerry World, only twice has the deficit favored either team by more than one possession (Arkansas 47-19 in 2009 and A&M 45-24 in 2016).

The other seven meetings on AT&T Stadium turf have all resulted in games that were won by a touchdown or by four points.

Arkansas’ last win in 2011 was a comeback for the ages. It ultimately resulted in the firing of Mike Sherman and ushered in the new era of Aggie football in the Southeastern Conference.

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Saints planning to move Week 1 game vs. Packers out of New Orleans

The Packers and Saints will be playing at a neutral-site location in Week 1.

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The New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers won’t be playing at the Superdome in Week 1 after Hurricane Ida battered the city over the weekend.

Saints coach Sean Payton confirmed the team is planning to be away from New Orleans for potentially the entire month of September, per Jeff Duncan of NOLA.com, meaning the season-opening showdown with the Packers will need to be moved out of the city and to a neutral location.

New Orleans is still without power.

The Week 1 contest between the Packers and Saints is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 12 at 3:25 p.m. CT.

The Saints have been operating out of the Dallas-Forth Worth area since evacuating New Orleans on Saturday. AT&T Stadium, the home of the Cowboys, looks like the best bet for a neutral location for Week 1. The Cowboys are on the road in Week 1 and there are no events scheduled at the stadium on Sept. 12.

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Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones on sharing AT&T Stadium with the Saints

Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones on sharing AT&T Stadium with the Saints

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Jerry Jones may be the face of the Dallas Cowboys, but his son Stephen Jones is a big-time decision-maker as Cowboys executive vice president. And when the New Orleans Saints came calling for help, they answered the call by welcoming the Saints to practice at AT&T Stadium for three days upon evacuating from Hurricane Ida before it struck the Louisiana coast.

The younger Jones joined “K&C Masterpiece” on KRLD-FM 105.3 “The Fan” to preview the 2021 season and discuss the Cowboys’ involvement with welcoming the displaced Saints to AT&T Stadium. Here’s what he said:

“Sean Payton and Mickey Loomis reached out to us, and asked if they could practice here in Dallas. As it turned out, we did have our stadium available and they were able to secure accommodations and just great that we’re able to help them. As you said, it’s a heartbreaking situation what’s going on to everybody there in south Louisiana and more. It’s just a very, very difficult for anybody living in that area. Our prayers go out to all the families and certainly even for the ones who ended up leaving, I’m sure they’re on pins and needles when you think about your home being in harm’s way. That’s a difficult situation.

“We certainly pray for the ones who weren’t able to get out, whatever the reason that they hopefully worked their way through it, and are able to make it through this storm and come out the backend. We want to do anything and everything we can to help the Saints organization. We obviously have great proximity to their market, and want to do anything and everything we can to help them.”

The Saints explored multiple options, including a potential flight to Indianapolis. But the Cowboys’ home stadium ended up being the best candidate. With so much uncertainty in the weeks ahead as New Orleans begins to recover from Ida’s wrath, it’s worth noting that AT&T Stadium is available for Week 1 with the Cowboys visiting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to kick off the season. If the Saints aren’t able host the Green Bay Packers at the Caesars Superdome, it’s possible they end up starting the 2021 season at a neutral site in Dallas instead.

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Stephen Jones admits Cowboys mistake, should’ve ‘Signed Dak the first time around’

The team’s executive VP recalls his best and worst Cowboys moments, his biggest accomplishment, and the thing he’d do differently. | From @ToddBrock24f7

There have been “euphoric” moments, like the team’s landslide 52-17 win in Super Bowl XXVII. There have been crushingly low moments, like the 1994 NFC Championship loss to San Francisco despite having what was widely considered “the best team.” There have been draft pick busts, lost-cause seasons, players who slipped away, and personnel moves that tanked.

But ask Stephen Jones about his top regret in his time as executive vice president of the Dallas Cowboys, and the 57-year-old doesn’t need long to come up with an answer.

“Probably would have signed Dak the first time around,” he said with a big laugh, “and it would have been better for everybody.”

Jones sat down for a wide-ranging interview with KXAS-TV recently, and while Jerry’s oldest son touched on the larger-than-life Cowboys greats he’s been fortunate enough to be around, like former quarterbacks Troy Aikman and Tony Romo, most of the conversation revolved around things like legacy and family.

Jones called the construction of AT&T Stadium and the creation of The Star in Frisco as the team’s headquarters, for instance, the front-office decision he’s most proud of, as both sites have set the bar for other teams’ facilities across the sports world.

Those projects came well after the Jones family had turned around the once-struggling franchise, taking the Cowboys from basement-dwelling laughing stock to the most valuable franchise in sport and one of the most recognizable brands on the planet.

Jones was a novice regarding the business of football when his father bought the team in 1989. He credits much of his on-the-job learning to Cowboys personalities like longtime scouting director Larry Lacewell, as well as coaches that included Jimmy Johnson, Barry Switzer, Bill Parcells, and Jason Garrett.

Interestingly, Jones also believes the introduction of the salary cap in 1994- in the middle of the team’s dynasty run- helped him, at 30, earn a reputation as one of the league’s financial masterminds.

“It was a new system, and so no one knew it,” Jones told the affiliate’s Pat Doney. “[Former Giants GM] George Young didn’t know it, [former Bills, Panthers, and Colts GM] Bill Polian didn’t know it, and of course, it’s a lot easier to learn something when you’re young.”

But the man for whom Super Bowl wins became a family business says his best football memories of all are the ones he shared with his own son. As quarterback, John Stephen led his high school squad to back-to-back Texas state titles in 2016 and 2017, with both victories coming in the Cowboys’ home stadium.

“I’ll say it and Jerry will actually say it, and I think he means it, too,” Jones admitted. “I enjoyed that more than our three Super Bowls that we won. It was just amazing to see that go on and happen right before our eyes. Enjoyed every minute of it.”

Those high school championships are no doubt wonderful for the Jones family, but the Cowboys’ global fanbase would overwhelmingly prefer to add another Lombardi Trophy (or two or three) to that spiffy display case at The Star.

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Report: Cowboys owner Jerry Jones to bid on hosting NFL combine

The league has announced that it will accept bids to host the annual event, which has been held in Indianapolis since 1987.

Since 1987, Indianapolis has been the home of the NFL Scouting Combine, which has become a spectacle in its own right as football fans across the nation get a one-stop-shop look at all the college prospects hoping to turn pro. Sensing an opportunity to elevate the five-day “Underwear Olympics” into a traveling event on par with the NFL Draft or Super Bowl, the league is taking the show on the road.

And nobody loves putting on a show more than Jerry Jones.

The Cowboys owner will reportedly bid on hosting the combine at the team’s facilities in 2023, according to sources of the Dallas Morning News‘s Calvin Watkins. The league informed teams on Wednesday that the annual combine would accept bids to move the combine after next year.

“The League, in concert with the Combine Executive Committee, is considering ways to grow the Combine as a tentpole event, while at the same time enhancing the prospect experience and partnership,” the memo read in part, per NFL.com.

Sweetening the deal in Dallas’s favor is the Cowboys’ ability to host major events at both the cavernous AT&T Stadium, where the team plays its games, and The Star in Frisco, the 91-acre headquarters that boasts multiple practice fields for drills, a 12,500-seat indoor arena, an on-site hotel, and medical facilities within a sprawling entertainment district.

Jones has said openly that he had The Star complex constructed with an event like the combine in mind. If paired with the stadium 37 miles away, though, there would be logistical details to work out for teams and players, to be sure.

AT&T Stadium hosted the Super Bowl in 2011 and the NFL draft in 2018.

A Dallas combine would be very different from the annual event that has evolved within the Indiana capital, as media members have long since developed a very specific routine there, right down to which tables at St. Elmo Steak House- two blocks from Lucas Oil Stadium- are best for rubbing elbows with team staffers and agents in hopes of an after-hours scoop.

Indianapolis is expected to bid to keep the event, as it brings a huge financial windfall to the city each February. Other cities like Los Angeles and Las Vegas- both with new facilities- are also thought to be interested.

The Cowboys have facilities on par with or superior to any team in the league, and if the league is determined to make the combine a true “tentpole” event, one has to imagine that fans could be invited to purchase tickets to attend at least some portion of it.

A non-stop media circus, the undivided attention of every NFL team’s fanbase, butts in seats, and credit cards at the ready: a Cowboys combine would be the most Jerry Jones thing ever.

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