Overview
- Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said on a Friday radio interview that the NFL has considered creating fixed annual rivalry games between teams from opposite conferences to capture local 'my town versus your town' matchups.
- Under the current 2002 scheduling formula, updated in 2021 for a 17th game, adding a guaranteed interconference rival for every team would require removing or reassigning existing matchups and rewriting the rotation and standings-based rules.
- Analysts and the coverage list natural pairings such as Cowboys‑Texans, Jets‑Giants and Rams‑Chargers but note there are not 16 clear cross‑conference fits so the league would have to force-match many franchises.
- Most observers expect any move toward annual geographic games to be tied to a season expansion to 18 (or more) games, though many analysts say the league is more likely to use extra slots for regular international matchups.
- The idea remains only a public discussion point: Jones floated it on Oct. 4, 2026, media outlets analyzed potential matchups and hurdles, and the NFL has made no formal proposal or rule change.