By Jamal Baker
NDG Contributing Writer
For the last 30 years, the Dallas Cowboys have failed to make the NFC Championship game—marking the new longest such streak in the NFC. Admittedly, being one of the final-four teams remaining in the NFL playoffs is not an easy feat but a deeper issue has crippled the legendary organization during their championship drought.
Owner, president, and general manager Jerry Jones bought the team in 1989, turning it into a family empire—allowing his kids to all hold prominent roles within the organization.
Dallas saw major success during the 1990s, winning three super bowls in the 1992, 1993, and 1995 seasons. Roster and coaching changes have been consistently predictable since the exits of head coaches Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzer, resulting in a mediocre football product but flourishing business brand.
The question must be asked, is Jones really concerned about winning another super bowl when he already has three and owns the most valuable sports franchise in the world, or is he more invested in maintaining the brand dominance of the Cowboys. An entire generation of Dallas Cowboys fans who never got a chance to see the glory days are ready to give up on a team that does not seem to prioritize winning.
The Family
Jones and his wife Eugenia have three children together, Jerry Jr., Charlotte, and Stephen. Stephen is the eldest son and manages more football related aspects compared to his siblings as the Director of Player Personnel for the Dallas Cowboys. Charlotte serves as the Chief Brand Officer and Jerry Jr. is the Chief Sales and Marketing Officer to oversee business related aspects for the organization.
“I don’t think we realized back in February of ’89 just how much that was going to impact our lives. Just the path the Dallas Cowboys has taken our family on and the visibility and with that visibility, there is obviously a lot of responsibility and there can be a lot of criticism,” Jerry Jr. told the Arkansas Democrat Gazette in 2018.
Jerry Jones is a master salesman and businessman who turned a $140 million investment in a porous Dallas Cowboys franchise in 1989 into the most valuable sports brand around the world. Jerry has always done things his way and is one of the most prominent and influential NFL owners in the league today.
“Jerry is one of the greatest business disruptors in the history of sports. When he got into the NFL, he looked at the way things were always done, saw a better way [and] made it happen,” Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban wrote to The Dallas Morning News in an email.
The Team
The Dallas Cowboys have been the epitome of failed expectations and potential rather than production since their last Super Bowl in the 1995 season. With 12 postseason appearances and just five total playoff wins since that season, the head coaching position has been a revolving door. The coaching hires are a story of predictability and conservativeness.
Jimmy Johnson delivered two Super Bowls for Dallas, but Jerry Jones let his ego get in the way of a potential unstoppable dynasty.
“Jerry is an authority figure that wants all the credit and why the cowboys have struggled to find success the last 30 years. What other owner holds that many executive titles and has to be in the media’s face after every game,” BGC Sports Network radio host Zack Barlow stated.
Dallas has cycled through a series of coaches that are not given the autonomy of championship level coaches. The apple does not fall far from the tree and Stephen Jones has employed a similar strategy with player personnel decisions. The Cowboys have done an undeniably admirable job drafting and developing talent with current stars Ceedee Lamb, Micah Parsons, and Tyler Smith on the roster.
The issue with roster building is the conservative approach Stephen Jones has towards free agency—leaving many holes on a team that is sometimes too top-heavy. Stephen believes in saving money while building through the draft without paying market price for free agents—a strategy that has not produced playoff success recently. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing but expecting different results according to Albert Einstein and Dallas refuses to change their roster building model.
“Derrick Henry made it known last off-season that he wanted to go to Dallas, but he said they never made the call. Prime example of the Cowboys getting in their own way. King Henry had a great season in Baltimore, and we saw what Saquon did for the Eagles. You have to take risks sometimes,” BGC Sports Network on-air personality Cedric Bailey said.
The Fan Experience
The team’s legacy is built on stories an entire generation of Cowboys fans never got to witness—their experience has been defined by heartbreak and disappointment.
“It’s gotten to the point where we’re (Dallas Cowboys) honestly a joke. It’s the same story every year, Jerry reels us in to believe in his product but then when it matters most, they let us down every time. I’m tired man,” Cowboys fan Lorne Glenn said.
Frustration is mounting among younger fans, and some are beginning to question their loyalty to a team that does not prioritize winning. The Dallas Cowboys are no longer “America’s Team” because of their success on the field but because of their cultural relevance.
“It’s bigger than winning football games…Keep ‘em talking, it’s a soap opera 365 days a year,” Jerry Jones said in his unreleased Netflix documentary titled America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys.
Not the ideal rhetoric you want to hear from the general manager whose sole focus should indeed be winning football games, but this is the current reality of the cards Dallas Cowboys fans were dealt.
The Crossroads
As Jerry Jones continues to balance his roles as owner, president, and general manager his commitment to building a championship roster must continue to be questioned. Until the Dallas Cowboys organization decides whether winning or branding matters more, the championship drought and mediocrity will continue. The Cowboys are at a crossroads and unless something changes, the next generation of fans will only know this team as a family business empire and not a legendary football franchise.
