Cowboys officials continue talks with several major companies regarding naming rights for their new stadium in Arlington.

Owner Jerry Jones has spoken to numerous Fortune 500 companies in the United States and overseas about putting their name on the estimated $1.1 billion stadium, which is scheduled to open in 2009. Sources said Mr. Jones wants to work with a company that has established itself not only in the United States but also globally and is in strong financial shape.

"I do believe AT&T is one they have talked to," Arlington Mayor Dr. Robert Cluck said. "AT&T is a great name. I've had a lot of contact with them because of the Cotton Bowl coming to the stadium. I think the Cowboys will pick a very, very strong company with which to name the stadium."

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An aerial view of the new Cowboys stadium taken in March 2008.

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AT&T is the title sponsor of the Cotton Bowl game, which will move to the new stadium in 2010.

Cowboys spokesman Brett Daniels said it would be inaccurate to imply that the organization has a deal in place with anyone.

"Our naming-rights discussions are ongoing, and they are a major part of our stadium project," Mr. Daniels said. "Our organization has never had a naming-rights partner, and because of that, this is one of the most important things the Dallas Cowboys franchise has ever undertaken."

"We don't have any comment on that," said Stephen Jones, chief operating officer and executive vice president of the Cowboys. "It's no different than with the players. Until we get to a point when something's definitive, we wouldn't make any comment on that. It's certainly nowhere near that."

AT&T spokeswoman Sarah Andreani denied there was a deal.

"We absolutely do not have a naming-rights agreement with the Cowboys," she said.

The naming-rights deal could be the richest in sports history, sports marketing experts have said, because of Mr. Jones' marketing prowess and the team's global brand strength. The Cowboys, according to Forbes magazine, are the world's most valuable sports franchise at $1.5 billion, and they play in one of the top five media markets.

The largest naming-rights deals in sports belong to two New York-area franchises. The Mets, who will open Citi Field next spring, will receive $400 million over 20 years from Citigroup. The New Jersey Nets plan to move to the new Barclays Center in Brooklyn in 2009 or 2010. The naming-rights contract with Barclays Bank bank is for the same amount as the Mets' deal.

The Houston Texans have the NFL's largest naming-rights deal. The Texans have a 31-year, $310 million deal with Reliant Energy.

Existing sports venues bearing the AT&T name include AT&T Center in San Antonio, AT&T Park in San Francisco, AT&T Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City, AT&T Field in Chattanooga, Tenn., and Texas Tech's Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock.

"I think it's exciting, and certainly AT&T is large enough that we don't have to worry about it being a financial problem," said Arlington Councilman and Mayor Pro Tem Ron Wright. "I think AT&T is a great corporation, and very financially successful. They are headquartered [in San Antonio] and I like that."

Staff writers Kathy A. Goolsby, Suzanne Marta and Albert Breer contributed to this report.