Cowboys Rumors: Netflix to Win $50M 'Bidding War' for Rights to Jerry Jones Series

Netflix has reportedly agreed to a $50 million deal to air a docuseries focused on Jerry Jones and the rise of the 1990s Dallas Cowboys.

Matthew Belloni of Puck reported Netflix won a "bidding war" with ESPN for the project, which consists of 10 episodes, though the deal isn't finalized. Amazon and "a couple other" networks were also interested in the series.

Jones purchased the Cowboys for $140 million in 1989. He quickly worked to reshape the franchise in his image, firing legendary coach Tom Landry—the franchise's only coach to that point—and trading All-Pro running back Herschel Walker to the Minnesota Vikings for a haul of draft picks.

While things got off to a rocky start—the Cowboys were 1-15 in 1989—Jones' Cowboys quickly became a powerhouse known as "America's Team." Dallas' first draft pick of the Jones era became Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman, and the team added NFL all-time leading rusher Emmitt Smith a year later. With Aikman and Smith combining with 1988 first-round pick Michael Irvin, the Cowboys had the best offensive trio in the NFL and won three Super Bowls from 1992 to 1995.

Over that period, Jones became one of the NFL's biggest behind-the-scenes power brokers—a status he still holds today despite the Cowboys not making a Super Bowl since that stretch.

Belloni noted the docuseries will feature never-before-seen footage of the early 90s Cowboys and has drawn comparisons to The Last Dance, the ESPN docuseries focused on the rise and fall of the 1990s Chicago Bulls dynasty.

Much like those Bulls, the 90s Cowboys were filled with internal strife—much of it coming down to who got the public credit for building the dynasty. It will be interesting to see if the film becomes the same type of viral phenomenon as The Last Dance given the interest in all things NFL.