It’s been 36 years since Jerry Jones bought the Dallas Cowboys and in all that time, he’s never lost his grip as general manager. He put himself there in that position the instant he acquired the franchise, and despite decades of underperforming since their glory days in the 90s, Jones has maintained his grip firm and steady. Asked this week if he’s ever thought about relinquishing his title as general manager, he didn’t bat an eye. “momentarily… small fractions of seconds,” he explained to Fox4News. Jones’ hold on football operations isn’t loosening. If anything, it’s more secure than ever. Much to the dismay of those hoping for a new paradigm of football acumen in Dallas.
That control was on full display again this offseason. The quest for a new coach following the breakup with Mike McCarthy and a 9-8 record with no postseason trip got out of hand for the Cowboys. There were times figures such as Deion Sanders and Jason Witten floated in the air, then news came that offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer—with no head coaching experience and no interviews elsewhere—was now the odds-on favorite. That choice, crafted to a significant degree behind the scenes, created scathing national backlash. “We are watching the fall of a great American institution,” said Colin Cowherd on The Herd. “He’s not even interviewing for other jobs… never been a head coach, but Jerry [Jones] likes him.”
It’s less about this one personnel move, more about the infrastructure that allows it to happen. Jones’ inability to empower football minds and his reluctance to provide coaches genuine authority have made football teams top-heavy and brittle. That dysfunction was well captured by Mark Schlereth on the Stinkin’ Truth Podcast: “Football team hierarchy functions similar to plumbing,” Mark Schlereth stated. “If the owner does stupid stuff that creates animosity within the organisation, what’s the likelihood of you actually listening to the coach?” Jones has always stayed close to roster decisions, but Schlereth drives home a bigger point: when players watch the boss undermine the coach, it shakes the foundation from the top down.
Schlereth wasn’t joking around, discussing his own days of digging trenches as a plumber’s apprentice. He remembered being instructed with one golden truism: “S— flows downhill.” That’s the way he views the Cowboys’ internal dynamics. And he’s not very far off. Dak Prescott (and Micah Parsons) caught heat from Jones after an injury-plagued 2024 campaign that saw him throw for 1,978 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions in eight games. Not for the performance, but for getting injured!
While Prescott remains the leader of this team, doubts about his leadership become more vocal when players see a coach who doesn’t really have a lot of power and an owner making the calls. Schottenheimer might wear the headset, but everyone knows Jerry Jones is making the real calls from the suite.
Roster strength battles to hold the line
In spite of the theatrics upstairs, you can’t fault what the Cowboys constructed on paper. On a roster basis, this team’s as strong as any in the NFC. “The way they’ve built, they are pretty good ,” Schlereth acknowledged on the podcast. “You look at Dallas as an organization from a drafting perspective,” That’s not hyperbole. In drafts, Dallas has landed blue-chip guys like Micah Parsons, CeeDee Lamb, and Tyler Smith. They may have struck gold again in 2025 with Alabama guard Tyler Booker and edge rusher Donovan Ezeiruaku.
This hit rate has enabled them to remain competitive despite being in the midst of the noise. Dak Prescott himself might not be in that top QB conversation with Patrick Mahomes or Joe Burrow. But he’s still the highest-paid signal caller in league history and a nine-year vet who can win with the right structure. Nevertheless, what’s preventing Dallas from coming together is not talent; it’s turbulence. It takes more than drafting well to win a Super Bowl. It takes oneness, clarity, and a system in which coaches call the shots and players respond.
When Jerry inserts himself into the mundane day-to-day football routine, that system warps and ultimately breaks under stress. Can this roster still stand firm in the face of the upstairs interference? That’s the question of 2025. If Jones starts making midseason ‘suggestions,’ expect that talent to tighten up fast.
In Dallas, the water always runs, but sometimes it’s from the wrong pipe.
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