Thirty years ago last week, quarterback Neil O’Donnell jetted Pittsburgh for the greener pastures of a big free agent contract from New York’s AFC team.
One month before, the Dallas Cowboys harassed O’Donnell while defeating Pittsburgh in Super Bowl XXX. The Cowboys haven’t played for a championship since.
While Dallas’ playoff woes over the past three decades haven’t been as disastrous as the O’Donnell deal, they’re still worth maligning. And with Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones recently pledging to make free-agent waves in the coming market – a movie not seen in Big D in decades – it only reinforces the franchise’s success at one thing: Spinning its wheels.
Jones resumed an offseason rite Friday, addressing the Cowboys’ condition from his bus at the NFL Combine. He spoke with reporters for more than an hour from the comfort of its luxury confines, though much of his message suggested the franchise would motor into the proverbial fast lane once teams can begin negotiating with free agents on March 9.
“I would bet that we spend more money in free agency than we have [in the past],” Jones said.
Surely, a number that’s nearly as relevant in Dallas as ’95 drives that motive – Jones’ age, 83.
Channeling the spirit of a good road trip, Jones turned inward on various occasions during his meeting with the media. He admitted he feels he has let Cowboys fans down during the ongoing Super Bowl drought.
“It’s every bit the prize of anything I have, with the exception of family and your love for family,” Jones said. “I guess what I would say is make no mistake about it, I don’t have a higher priority than to go and win a Super Bowl.”
While that refrain hasn’t changed, the approach appears to be shifting.
Think of the NFL’s major external free-agent deals of the past 30 years. Booms and busts. Dallas arguably registers only a few.
Center Ray Donaldson and cornerback Deion Sanders helped fortify the 1995 champions, and defensive tackle La’Roi Glover (2002) and wide receiver Terrell Owens (2006) helped deliver a few postseason appearances over the next decade.
Jones promised change after Dallas finished 7-9-1 in 2025, its second straight non-playoff season and fourth in the past seven. To start, the Cowboys fired defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus and plucked 34-year-old Christian Parker from the rival Philadelphia Eagles to fill the position.
The Cowboys’ attack wasn’t perfect last season, to be sure. But with Dak Prescott in tow at QB to go with receivers CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens and recently re-signed running back Javonte Williams, most of the looming free agent money figures to be spent on defense.
“I want to do everything we possibly can to stop somebody and to basically win some third downs more than we did last year,” Jones said. “And so, I think that would be the area that you would see me bust the budget. Where you would see me do that is what we’re doing defensively.”
Dallas also holds two first-round draft picks in April, another potential avenue to bolster the unit. The Cowboys also might use a pick as a trade chip. They aren’t averse to dealing, as last season’s Micah Parsons/Kenny Clark swap showed.
Signing sustainable talent from elsewhere has been another story of late.
With a soul-searching Jones driving the bus – if not holding court in it – Dallas appears destined for a new chapter. The franchise and fan base can only hope it builds toward a more satisfying end.
