Cowboys open 2026 at Giants on SNF as NFL confirms Jerry Jones' leak

It's often lost in all the outlandish hyperbole and homespun analogies, but sometimes Jerry Jones just comes right out and spills the actual beans.

And while the NFL on Monday officially announced who and where the Cowboys will play to open the upcoming regular season, it turns out that Jones came right out and told us all over two weeks ago.

The Cowboys will kick off 2026 with a visit to MetLife Stadium to face the division-rival New York Giants in the Week 1 installment of Sunday Night Football on NBC. The game will feature John Harbaugh's debut as Giants head coach and the first look at the revamped Cowboys defense under new coordinator Christian Parker.

For the Cowboys, breaking the seal on the season against Big Blue has become something of a theme. Dallas has opened against the Giants eight times in the last 20 years, most recently with a trip to the Big Apple in 2023 in which the Cowboys won 40-0.

Of the Cowboys' 12 all-time Week 1 dates against the Giants, they hold an 11-1 record.

So it was perhaps not surprising to hear Jones use the Giants as his go-to example in an answer to a recent question about player availability. On April 24, the Friday of NFL draft weekend, the 83-year-old was asked whether the club would consider selecting Day 3 prospects who had known injury concerns. (This after Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy had fallen to the fourth round and the Cowboys had made prior headlines with a "no redshirt" edict.)

Speaking about rookies who would be able to step in and contribute immediately, Jones said at the time the team would focus on prospects "that can be there on the 53[-man roster] and help us beat the Giants."