Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 7, 2021; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones with his son Stephen Jones on the field prior to the game against the Denver Broncos at AT&T Stadium.
Would the Dallas Cowboys be in better shape if owner Jerry Jones stepped away and ceded control to his son Stephen? That’s what a pair of team legends believe.
Jones, who purchased the team in 1989, won three Super Bowls in his first six years in charge. But the Cowboys haven’t even been to so much as an NFC Championship Game since then.
According to Hall of Famer Troy Aikman and Cowboys Ring of Honor member Rod Woodson, the team’s ownership is a big part of its 30-plus-year drought.
Troy Aikman And Rod Woodson Want Jerry Jones To Move On From The Cowboys
Aikman, who is now just as famous for his role calling Monday Night Football alongside Joe Buck as he is for his NFL career, has been among the most outspoken critics of Jones.
“Cowboys fans deserve better,” he said in a recent interview. “I do know that. This is the Cowboys, the flagship franchise, and the fact that the Cowboys in 30 years have not made it to a championship game, let alone a Super Bowl, it’s hard to fathom.”
But he doesn’t believe the team is doomed. In fact, he sees a clear path forward.
“I’m not pushing Jerry out by any means, but when that day comes, it’s gonna feel a lot different,” Aikman told The Athletic.
Woodson, meanwhile, was even more bullish on the younger Jones, who currently serves as the team’s Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President of Player Personnel.
“Stephen’s going to chart a different path,” he said. “He’s got a little bit more motherf—er in him.”
Whether or not Aikman and Woodson are correct, only time will tell. But it’s clear they feel it’s time for a change. And a number of Cowboys fans would agree with them.