Jerry Jones says there’s no roadmap for life after him in Dallas - and that’s exactly how he wants it.
The Cowboys owner, who has run the franchise for more than three decades after buying the team for $140 million in 1989, told The Athletic that his exit won’t come with a long goodbye or a formal handoff. It’ll just happen.
“I don’t have a succession plan, I don’t,” Jerry said. “One day I just won’t be here to toss my two cents in.”
At 83, Jones remains the center of gravity for a Cowboys operation that is trying to build toward 2026. Dallas missed the playoffs in 2025, but still had one of the league’s best offenses. The defense has also gotten a boost, with the team’s improvements highlighted by the selection of former Ohio State Buckeyes star Caleb Downs.
The expectation has long been that Stephen Jones will eventually take over, but there is still no official succession plan in place. Jerry made it clear he believes his son is built for the job, praising the way he handles pressure and disagreement.
“He’s about as good as anybody I’ve ever been around in giving deference when he should. Now, don’t confuse that with lack of intensity,” he said.
“He’ll bite back real hard when he has to. Real hard.
He just does it with more grace than I do.”
Stephen, though, made clear this is not a future the family is eager to discuss. “We certainly don’t wanna think about that,” Stephen said of the Joneses not owning the Cowboys. “We don’t want it to be that way.”
For now, Jerry Jones is still steering the ship. And by his own telling, nobody is going to see the end coming.
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