The Dallas Cowboys watched two of their division rivals play in the NFC Championship game last season. One of those foes – the Washington Commanders – had the second-worst record in the NFL in 2023. Despite this, the Commanders were able to rebound and reach a playoff stage that the Cowboys haven’t reached since the 1995 campaign in one year with Jayden Daniels.
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Washington was the epitome of dysfunction for nearly two and a half decades under Dan Snyder. Dallas puffs its chest and claims not to be, but the results speak for themselves. Every other team in the NFL has appeared in a conference championship game more recently than Jerry Jones’ Cowboys. Yet his focus, according to Skip Bayless, is on mentions in the news cycle.
On the latest edition of The Skip Bayless Show, Bayless blasted Jones for his approach to team building. He lamented the fact that Jones is stringing Micah Parsons along instead of signing him to a contract extension. To him, Jones is “more serious about staying relevant and keeping that brand up high than they are about winning.”
“Cowboy fans, trust me. This team is a mess right now… Jerry [Jones] just wants to create controversy, detonate headlines and publicity for Jerry Jones. [He wants to] keep himself in the news as long as he can through this Micah negotiation… [until] the week before the season opener, when he will make Micah the highest-paid defensive player ever… here we go again.” – Skip Bayless
Bayless’ projected proceeding is exactly what happened with both Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb last off-season. Dallas wound up paying a combined $376 million ($94 million per year) on four-year extensions for the duo ahead of the 2024 campaign. Lamb signed on Aug. 26, but Prescott inked his deal on Sep. 8, the day of the Cowboys’ season opener.
This course of action cost Dallas a ton of money on Prescott’s pact. His $60 million salary is $5 million more than any other player in NFL history has ever received. The Buffalo Bills just extended Josh Allen, who won the 2024 MVP, for $55 million annually.
Prescott’s extension, as mentioned, occurred last September. Allen earned his just two months ago, in February. How can Prescott still be making that much more when Allen’s deal came five months later?
It’s certainly not that Allen took a team-friendly deal. What it is, to Bayless, is evidence that Jones’ priorities are in the wrong place. And if Jones isn’t committed to winning, Bayless believes he should step down.
“If we all keep screaming loudly enough, maybe Jerry Jones will finally hear and heed us and retire himself from running our beloved Dallas Cowboys. Running them right into the ground.”
Unfortunately for Bayless, the likelihood of Jones electing to leave the limelight is as good as the chances of him deciding to stop offering sports takes. When the Cowboys make the No. 12 overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft, Jones will be there. And he’ll be there until his days are done, no matter how loud Dallas’ fanbase gets.
