Jerry Jones Says 'I Stir That S--t Up' When It's Slow, Cowboys 'Stay Controversial'

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones discussed his approach towards dealing with controversy surrounding his team.

"What you do is a little bit of my philosophy," Jones told ESPN's Stephen A. Smith during an appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio (h/t Jon Machota of The Athletic). "Controversy. I'm serious. I'm dead serious. Not serial killing. Not that. But controversy. The Dallas Cowboys probably have the kind of interest that we have in no small part because we stay out front and we stay controversial. When it gets slow, I stir that s--t up. Fact. I just want to be relevant. I just want you to be looking at us.

"Now, I don't think that has ever kept us from scoring a touchdown. I don't think it has kept us from having a football player. I don't think it has ever kept us from having the financial wherewithal to get a football player."

Jones previously gave a cryptic answer when asked about the player he would want to add to the Cowboys ahead of Tuesday's trade deadline. Jones told Dianna Russini of The Athletic that he'd look to acquire a defensive player, but "not a pass rusher."

Despite his comments, Dallas could use help on its defensive front after shockingly trading star pass-rusher Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers on Aug. 28 following a lack of progress in extension discussions.

After the Cowboys and Packers tied 40-40 in Parsons' first game against his former team, Jones explained his choice to extend quarterback Dak Prescott instead of him.

"It's very simple: Dak was indispensable, in my mind… and Micah wasn't," Jones said, per Tommy Yarrish of the team's official website. "It's just numbers, it's that easy. And that's not personal at all… the numbers just weren't there with Micah."

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While it may not be solely due to Jones' penchant for controversy, it's undeniable that the Cowboys are one of the NFL's most popular teams. They lead the league in attendance this year and remained atop Forbes' list of the most valuable NFL teams heading into the 2025 season with a valuation of $13 billion.

Dallas is currently looking to avoid missing the playoffs for a second consecutive year, sitting at No. 2 in the NFC East standings with a 3-4-1 record through eight weeks.