Jerry Jones has been aggressive in the past. Firing Tom Landry and trading Herschel Walker in the span of eight months in 1989 certainly put him in that category from the get-go.
But fast-forward 36 years later to 2025, and Jones is testing even some of his most aggressive moves in his time as the owner and general manager of the Dallas Cowboys, even if most of the past quarter-century has seen him remain mostly tempered in his transactional approach.
“I have a natural urgency because of my age,” Jones said.
At 83, Jones knows he doesn’t have the luxury of time like he once had. It’s not to be ominous, it’s more about his realistic view on life. Ahead of a busy trade deadline on Tuesday that saw Dallas unload a cache of premier draft capital to acquire three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, Jones spoke on 105.3 The Fan about the time he has left and the desire for results now.
“My immediate tomorrows are a big thing to me,” he said.
In 2025, that urgency has included a trade for Williams, trading away pass rusher Micah Parsons for two first-round picks and trading for wide receiver George Pickens, among other uncharacteristic moves in comparison to how the Cowboys’ front office has operated for the past decade.
In an effort to improve immediate results at the expense of a good amount of future draft capital, Jones has finally followed through on the “all-in” promise from 2024.
In 2026, the Cowboys own just five draft picks and none in the second and third rounds after Tuesday’s deals.
Will it work? Who knows?
But if it doesn’t, Jones understands what it means. And he seems content in living with those results.
“I’m satisfied that I can make good decisions,” he said. “I’ve made some bad decisions, obviously, being trite. I am supremely responsible for where we are right now. There is no question about that. I accept that. That doesn’t deter me from wanting to get it done and get it done now this year.”
Behind the scenes, Jones’ age was also a topic of discussion Tuesday — although it was much more lighthearted.
“He laughs about it in terms of his age,” head coach Brian Schottenheimer said. “And we actually just had a meeting where we talk about the game and reviewing the game, and he brought it up, so I know it’s something.
“But there’s urgency for all of us. It’s because of the position that we’re in. We’ve put ourselves in this spot. We’re 3-5-1, and we don’t have a lot of room for error. We know that. I think that sets a very clear marker of we know what we have to do.”
The window has been Windexed and squeegeed down to a crystal-clear view. Williams’ newly acquired contract expires after the 2027 season. Quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb have contracts expiring in 2028. Only three players are on the books for 2029: defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa, cornerback DaRon Bland and tight end Jake Ferguson. The last seven months’ aggression in the trade market sets up Dallas to make a push before that uncertainty arrives.
If this is one of Jerry’s final big charges at one last Super Bowl ring, his moves over the past seven months will be the determining factor in how successful this effort ends up being. From acquiring Pickens, Clark and Williams to shockingly sending Parsons away, there’s a clear shift in direction in Dallas.
But whether that street proves to be fruitful or yet another notch in a disappointing post-1995 stretch remains to be seen.