Millions in profits, despite a 30-year Super Bowl drought, reveal Jerry Jones' powerful financial incentive to overlook on-field Cowboys results.
FRISCO - "The 30-Year Drought'' has created so much pessimism for many Dallas Cowboys fans that Jerry Jones' promises of change fall on deaf ears.
And that phenomenon is so powerful that even Dallas fulfilling its pledge to make changes in the way it does business - witness the assembling of the 2026 coaching staff being run not by the owner but rather by the coach - hasn't swayed the skeptics.
But there is something beyond “The 30-Year Drought’‘ that fuels your disbelief in the Jones-led program.
And that something is ... money.
Jones recently spoke on the concept of using all of the financial tools at his disposal to build a winning roster in 2026."Bust the bank,'' he promised.“Finances are no object,'' he promised.
“We’re not saving it in our back pocket,'' he promised.If you choose to not trust him here, I get it. ...
Because once again in 2025, the NFL offered you 1.36 million reasons to roll your eyes ...
While you and Cowboys Nation offered him 1.36 million reasons to not truly bother "bust the bank.''What is the significance of that 1.36 million number?
"America's Team'' continues to remain wildly popular - and mind-bogglingly profitable.
After finishing 7-9-1 and out of the playoffs for the second straight year, the Cowboys extended their streak of not playing in an NFC Championship Game (or a Super Bowl) to an incredible 30 consecutive years. Yup. They last won a championship after the 1995 season when they beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XXX.
And yet ... to my eye, during every single playoff game this year, the Cowboys were somehow on stage, somehow mentioned, somehow milked.
Meanwhile, their lack of success in the only area you wish mattered did nothing to negatively impact Jerry's bottom line.
In Forbes' December 2025 valuations, Jones' franchise was deemed the most valuable on the planet, worth an estimated $13 billion.
That contributes to his estimated net wealth of $21 billion.
Oh, and it all comes to him in part because for the 17th consecutive season, the Cowboys led the NFL in total attendance.
That's right: In every year since they moved out of Texas Stadium in 2009 and into AT&T Stadium, more fans have watched Cowboys games in person than any other NFL team.
The Cowboys, while playing only eight home games compared to nine for some teams, led the league with an average home attendance of 92,991 as they drew 743,934 fans to AT&T Stadium (capacity over 100,000).
And how many fans in total attended Cowboys games? That number would be 1.36 million.You have every right to believe that Jones' real bottom-line number is that one: 1.36 million.
I'm not saying we should storm The Star with torches and pitchforks. Nor am I suggesting we should divorce ourselves from the Cowboys and pick another team; in Texas, that's blasphemy!
I do suggest this, though: Don't rob yourself of your "secular religion.'' Enjoy the Cowboys for the thrill ride that they are, disappointment and all. And at the same time, hope that as he approaches age 84, Jerry is telling the truth with another of his trademark slogans.
“Everybody likes to dream,’’ Jerry said recently, “and I promise you high and hard on my dream list, way ahead of making a buck, because I don’t need a buck — way ahead of that is to go down as the owner that won the most Super Bowls.”
A stunning thought: He's at $13 billion in franchise value and he's at $21 billion in personal wealth and he's got 1.36 million people showing up to his games.
Can you even imagine what those numbers would be if the audience believed his pledge - and if he ever made good on it?