Jerry Jones Has Mulled Stepping Down as Cowboys GM for 'Small Fractions of Seconds'

The idea of Jerry Jones being less involved with the Dallas Cowboys might seem outlandish to many NFL fans, but the thought has at least crossed the mind of the team owner and general manager.

"Yes, momentary," Jones told reporters Monday when asked if he has ever considered stepping down from his general manager role. "Small fractions of seconds."

The 82-year-old also explained he can take more risk than other general managers around the league given his position as the team owner and didn't sound like someone who is going to step down anytime soon even if he's had those passing thoughts:

The comments are notable, though, as the Cowboys haven't advanced past the NFC Divisional Round since they won the Super Bowl during the 1995 campaign. They have been a far cry from the dominant franchise that took home three Lombardi Trophies from the 1992 to 1995 seasons early in Jones' tenure as team owner.

While they have been a regular playoff contender in recent years, they have been a step below the elite teams in the league.

Such a reality surely doesn't sit well with many Dallas fans, and Jones is not oblivious to the criticism.

"Personally, I don't have any problem justifying when somebody says, 'Well, do it differently. Why don't you just watch it on TV?' I don't have to," he said. "I paid too high a price in my mind for doing what I'm doing, and I'm ready to do it again, and I'm ready to walk up here and get that trophy, if we could possibly get it. So that's a long winded way of saying, it doesn't daunt me at all to sit here and face the music. This isn't music."

Ideally for the Cowboys, they will be better positioned to compete for another one of those trophies in 2025 than they were last season when they went 7-10. 

Quarterback Dak Prescott is back after injuries limited him to eight games, the front office acquired wide receiver George Pickens to give the offense another potential game-changing weapon alongside CeeDee Lamb, and Micah Parsons is back to anchor the defense.

If all the pieces come together, the Cowboys could be a contender in a strong NFC East that also features the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders. But if they don't, the noise surrounding Jones and the job he is doing as a general manager won't get any quieter.