Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

For Cowboys to succeed, Jerry Jones must allow others to make football decisions

By Victor Haltom | Last updated 10/17/24

Nobody doubts Jerry Jones' passion for the Dallas Cowboys and his earnest desire for the team he owns to succeed. However, the Cowboys are floundering. For the team to flourish, Jones must relinquish much, if not all, of his decision-making authority regarding personnel matters and on-field performance.

Mike Freeman of USA Today contends the Cowboys are "lost," delivering an "archaic" product on the gridiron, because of Jones. While the 82-year-old owner and general manager of "America's Team" is a remarkably shrewd and adept businessman, Freeman faults him for not figuring out the "actual football" part of the equation, the "coaching part of it[,]" and "locker room culture." The diagnosis: "Jones [is] the biggest problem. Nothing will change until he does."

Jerry Jones remains the Dallas Cowboys' biggest problem https://t.co/dCyGkslrmL
— mike freeman (@mikefreemanNFL) October 15, 2024

Jones is the only NFL owner who operates as his team's general manager.

Cincinnati Bengals owner Mike Brown previously acted as his team's general manager, but he relinquished that role to Duke Tobin.

Under Jonses' stewardship, Dallas' postseason record in the 21st century is an abysmal 4-10. The Cowboys have not made it past the divisional round of the playoffs since the 1995-96 season, when they won their last Super Bowl. Barry Switzer was the coach then, and "The Triplets" — Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin and Emmitt Smith — led the way.

Dallas' 2023-24 campaign concluded emphatically with the Green Bay Packers routing the Cowboys in a wild-card game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Following that disheartening loss, Dallas was remarkably inactive in the offseason. Now, to start the 2024-25 season, the Cowboys have suffered three home losses, the most recent of which was a 47-9 blowout by the Detroit Lions.

Frustration over the persistent disappointment came to a head in Jones' disastrous radio talk show appearance on Tuesday on KRLD-FM 105.3 "The Fan." When the Cowboys' flagship station hosts questioned Jones about his responsibility for the "blowout home loss following a disheartening offseason of inaction," he seemed to threaten their job security.

Jerry Jones didn't like getting questioned about the Cowboys' offseason during his appearance on 105.3 The Fan.

"Your job isn't to let me to go over all the reasons that I did something... that's not your job. I'll get somebody else to ask these questions. I'm not kidding." pic.twitter.com/Po2LJ8f6cX
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 15, 2024

The radio hosts' questions to Jones were relevant and appropriate. His unfortunate response is telling: The time has come for Jerry Jones, the owner, to fire Jerry Jones, the GM.

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