**KEY LARGO, Fla.** – For the first time since he could even remember, Jimmy Johnson isn't gearing up for a football season.
Oh, he's still going to be watching because … he's Jimmy Johnson and football has been in his entire life. But the recently-retired broadcaster and former NFL head coach is enjoying his life down in the Florida Keys, tending to his restaurant, "Jimmy Johnson's Big Chill Bar & Grill" and spending as much time on the water as possible.
While he's long been removed from the sidelines, and most recently hanging up the microphone as a studio analyst for Fox, Johnson is still excited about the 2025 season, especially for the Cowboys. Johnson will always have strong ties to Dallas, having coached there from 1989-93, winning two Super Bowls. He's a member of the Ring of Honor and of course, the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
And just recently, Johnson did an interview with the Cowboys media team for an upcoming documentary for the Deep Blue series. When asked about the current team, Johnson said there's one thing that must happen for the Cowboys to have success under new head coach Brian Schottenheimer.
The biggest thing for the Cowboys - it's a big thing for any team - is to stay healthy. I think it's probably more important for the Cowboys to stay healthy for a couple reasons," Johnson explained. "No. 1, they're top-heavy salary wise. And so their 53-man roster may not be quite as talented at the bottom the as some of these other teams."
Johnson, referring to the high-dollar contracts of Dak Prescott ($60 million per season) and CeeDee Lamb ($34 million), said it's difficult to have depth from top to bottom when the majority of the salary cap is getting use for the top-line players. And currently, Micah Parsons is counting $25 million on the cap – a figure that would be decreased if he were to sign a long-term extension.
But Johnson has another reason why staying healthy is so important for this year's team.
"The other thing is, they have a very difficult stretch there toward the end of the season," Johnson said. "So if they're not at full strength when they're playing those top teams – the second half of at the end of the season, it's going to be a problem. So staying healthy is the No. 1 key."
For a Cowboys team that went 7-10, there are many games on the schedule that should be challenging but Johnson is likely referring to the late-November run when they face six straight playoff team in a 32-day window.
Of those six teams, two of them were in the Super Bowl in Philadelphia and Kansas City. The Cowboys play those teams in a four-day stretch from Nov. 23-27, followed by a road game to Detroit, home games against the Vikings and Chargers and then a Christmas Day road game in Washington.
If there's anyone that knows the importance of playing great football in December, it would be Johnson, whose teams went 14-7 in the final month of the regular season. And in the three playoff seasons in Dallas (1991-93), the Cowboys went a combined 12-1 heading into the playoffs.
Johnson also spoke highly of Brian Schottenheimer, whom he met a few years ago in Jacksonville, and his father a few decades before that.
"Well I knew his dad, Marty a long time ago when I was coaching Oklahoma State," Johnson recalled. "Marty was with Cleveland and came down to visit with one our players. He ended up drafting Chris Rockins (second round, 1984). But I've known Marty for years.
"Later on, Brian was working in Jacksonville. Urban Meyer had me fly down and visit with their staff about drafting players, and schedules, etc. I talked to Brian some there in Jacksonville. I think he's enthusiastic and is a outstanding coach. I think he'll do a really good job with the Cowboys."