The Dallas Cowboys are once again on the outside looking in, and for a franchise that built its brand on championship pedigree, the frustration is boiling over - both inside the fanbase and across the broader NFL landscape.
With the Philadelphia Eagles clinching a Week 16 win over the Washington Commanders, the Cowboys have officially been eliminated from playoff contention. It's the second straight year without postseason football in Dallas, and with that, the franchise’s Super Bowl drought stretches even further - now past three decades. For a team that still calls itself "America’s Team," that’s a long time to be stuck in neutral.
Naturally, much of the heat is landing squarely on the shoulders of owner and general manager Jerry Jones. As the architect of the modern Cowboys - both on the field and in the boardroom - Jones has become a lightning rod whenever the team falls short. And this year, with expectations once again unmet, the criticism is coming in loud and clear.
On a recent episode of The Craig Carton Show, analyst Tyrone Johnson didn’t hold back. He pointed out a stat that’s hard to ignore: since 2009, every other team in the NFC - even those currently struggling like the Giants - has made it to at least one NFC Championship Game. Every team, that is, except the Dallas Cowboys.
That’s a tough pill to swallow for a franchise that still dominates headlines and TV ratings, regardless of on-field results. Johnson added, “They've had 30 years of ineptitude as far as actually winning a Super Bowl.
You literally can't find a DVD of their Super Bowl because DVDs didn’t exist the last time they won one. You have to keep a VCR.”
That’s not just a jab - it’s a reflection of how long it’s been since the Cowboys were truly relevant in the title conversation. Their last Super Bowl win came in the 1995 season, and while there have been flashes of potential since - a 13-3 season here, a breakout rookie year from a quarterback or running back there - the team has consistently come up short when it matters most.
The real question Johnson posed wasn’t just about performance - it was about accountability. “If sports are supposed to be about wins and losses at the end of the day,” he asked, “how’s Jerry Jones still allowed to own the Cowboys?”
That’s where this conversation shifts from just another year of playoff disappointment to a broader debate about ownership and leadership. Johnson argued that if the Cowboys were put up for sale - hypothetically - there would be no shortage of suitors. And in his view, it’s hard to imagine any of them doing worse than what Jones has done in recent decades.
“If we're being honest, wouldn't those suitors most likely be more competent than Jerry Jones?” Johnson said.
“I'll say it's impossible for them to be less competent. It would automatically be an improvement.”
That’s a bold take, but it taps into something a lot of Cowboys fans are feeling: the sense that the team is stuck in a cycle of mediocrity, and that the only constant in that cycle is Jones himself. As both owner and general manager, he has final say on personnel decisions, coaching hires, and the overall direction of the franchise. And while his business acumen has turned the Cowboys into the most valuable sports franchise in the world - Forbes has them pegged at a jaw-dropping $13 billion - the results on the field haven’t matched the brand’s off-field dominance.
That disconnect between financial success and football success is what’s fueling much of the backlash. For all the talk about Dallas being “America’s Team,” Johnson questioned why the rest of the league’s owners are seemingly content with one of their most visible franchises being led by someone he views as the most ineffective owner in the league.
It’s a fair question. The Cowboys still draw massive ratings, sell out stadiums, and move merchandise like no other team.
But in the NFL, winning is still the ultimate currency. And right now, Dallas is bankrupt in that department.
So here we are again - another December, another Cowboys team packing it in early, and another round of finger-pointing aimed at the top. Whether Jerry Jones is willing to make real changes, or whether he continues to bet on his own vision, remains to be seen. But one thing is clear: the patience is wearing thin, and the calls for accountability are only getting louder.