Jerry Jones bought the Dallas Cowboys from H.R. "Bum" Bright on Feb. 25, 1989, for $140 million. Now, according to Forbes, the Cowboys are estimated to be worth $13 billion in 2026, first among NFL franchises. Jones is known for bold moves, like the iconic Herschel Walker trade, or for firing legendary head coach Tom Landry and replacing him with Miami Hurricanes coach Jimmy Johnson.
The California native oversaw sustained success in the 1990s. Led by the core offensive trio of quarterback Troy Aikman, running back Emmitt Smith and wide receiver Michael Irvin, the Cowboys won three Super Bowls in four years (1992, 1993 and 1995). Offensive lineman Larry Allen, defensive end Charles Haley and defensive back Deion Sanders were also Hall of Fame contributors during that era.
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Although Jones successfully built upon the brand of "America's Team" and has maintained the iconic status of the franchise, the on-field success hasn't been recreated since the turn of the century, as Dallas hasn't been able to get past the divisional round of the playoffs since 2000. Now, the 83-year-old team president, owner and general manager has recently opened up about what a potential sale of the Cowboys would look like.
On Sunday, Calvin Watkins of The Dallas Morning News reported that Jones would potentially be open to selling a minority stake in the Cowboys to billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban. Jones spoke about how he highly respects the former Dallas Mavericks owner, how he is a high-quality person, and that if he were to sell a stake in the Cowboys, Cuban would be someone he would consider in the deal. Jones also emphasized that he is not looking to sell the Cowboys outright and is only pondering a minority stake.
“That’s exactly why if you’re me, you would be open to that, because of the man,” said Jones. “I have all the respect in the world for him, and I know what he did for the Mavericks and what he’s done for basketball. In addition to the financial boatstreams of your team, you want to associate with the highest quality of [a person] who loves the game and then also, at the same time, wants to do something about it. Mark leads the way in that.”
"Jones, who has owned the Cowboys since 1989," wrote The Dallas Morning News, "said the club isn’t interested in taking on additional investors but wouldn’t rule it out in the future."
"Jerry Jones would be 'open to' selling a piece of the Cowboys to Mark Cuban," ProFootballTalk wrote on X. "Who would be 'open to' buying one through his private-equity fund."
Dallas will head to MetLife Stadium to face the division-rival New York Giants on Sept. 13 at 8:20 p.m. ET for "Sunday Night Football," broadcast by NBC.
