At the start of the 2024 offseason, owner and general manager Jerry Jones declared the Dallas Cowboys to be “all in.” The slogan invoked a strong reaction, from fans and media.
Intrigue. Excitement. Anticipation.
In the months that followed, the Cowboys did nothing to validate those two words.
Speaking last week at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, executive vice president Stephen Jones described the 2025 offseason approach as “selectively aggressive.” Again, there was a strong reaction.
Anger. Disappointment. Annoyance.
Wednesday, after Zack Martin’s retirement news conference at The Star, the Dallas front office spoke more words into the ether, and that led to more reactions. Jones contradicted his son’s comments, saying “I don’t think aggressive is the right word.”
The vibes during Cowboys offseasons too often have gone the way of the words. They need to be reserved for actions.
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It’s entirely possible — even probable, based on recent history — that the Cowboys’ 2025 offseason approach will leave fans exasperated. Fans aren’t just coming off a 7-10 season, but they’re also coming off watching two of the Cowboys’ division rivals battle in the NFC Championship Game with the Philadelphia Eagles winning the Super Bowl. Dak Prescott has every right to believe the Cowboys are “very close” to the Super Bowl champions, but the facts paint a different picture. Fair or not, the three-decade drought of postseason success has taken a toll on optimism.
But once again, it shouldn’t matter much what Prescott says.
Prescott knows as well as anybody the Cowboys haven’t sniffed what the Eagles have achieved. Whether it’s his method of leadership to ooze optimism or his delusion the Cowboys are close to the Eagles, it doesn’t amount to anything of substance, aside from some offseason headlines and talk-radio discussions. After all, at this time last year — and even into the summer months — the NFC East was a two-team race between the Cowboys and Eagles. The Washington Commanders and New York Giants were scrapping for third place.
Words in the offseason, whether they come from Jerry, Stephen, Prescott or anybody else in the organization should be viewed in the same light as regular-season wins. It might sound good; it might not. The real barometer is: What are you doing in the playoffs?
Actions are the offseason’s playoffs.
The Cowboys have had a decent offseason.
The entire process with the head coach position — the holding pattern with Mike McCarthy to the hiring of Brian Schottenheimer — likely draws mixed reviews, but most would agree that change was necessary after McCarthy’s five-year run. Schottenheimer wasn’t an exciting hire, but his work in the short time since has been stellar, and he deserves a chance to prove his worth. The Cowboys also got some major internal business done Tuesday when they extended Osa Odighizuwa. That move won’t flip the team’s fortunes, but it was a big deal done promptly. And that — as the Cowboys have reminded us — can’t be taken for granted. Dallas supplemented that with some solid internal depth moves.
There’s still a lot of business left to be done. Getting DeMarcus Lawrence, Jourdan Lewis and Rico Dowdle on team-friendly contracts would be welcome developments. Signing Micah Parsons to a massive contract extension likely dictates how this offseason will be graded. External free-agent signings and draft selections will also play a big factor.
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On the subject of free agency, the Cowboys have been pouring water on an aggressive approach since the end of last season. Stephen Jones tempered expectations of a spending spree in December when he said things were “going to be really, really tight” in 2025. He opened the door slightly to the possibility of an active free agency after Schottenheimer was hired, but his comments about being selectively aggressive cooled things down again.
Though the words are uninspiring, the Cowboys freed up nearly $57 million in cap space this week by restructuring the contracts of Prescott and CeeDee Lamb. Signing Parsons to an extension would create even more cap space.
Though the front office’s words downplay the team’s aggressiveness, its actions have fostered a situation in which it can be active. Ultimately, the Cowboys should be judged on what they do.
The Eagles this week re-signed Saquon Barkley and Zack Baun — two players they plucked in free agency last year — and have become a standard of greatness among NFL front offices. The Commanders, who traded for Deebo Samuel last week, have had a remarkable turnaround under new ownership. If the failures of their own doing over the past 30 years weren’t enough, the Cowboys’ legacy front office should feel the heat from those around them.
At Martin’s retirement news conference Wednesday, Stephen Jones was seated to Martin’s right while Jerry Jones was seated to Martin’s left. Jerry joked that Martin was seated in the middle because Jerry was still hurting from the times Stephen kicked his shins on draft day in 2014. That was the day when Stephen overruled his father’s desire to draft the better marketing tool in Johnny Manziel for the better football player in Martin.
“I hope it was an example of, at the end of the day, I do accept the smarter decision, and make it around here,” Jerry said. “Although, I know I’ve got a lot of questioning that in the room.”
The questioning of that extends far beyond that room. Answering those questions isn’t about anything anybody in the front office could say. The actions in the coming weeks will say plenty.
(Photo of Micah Parsons and Osa Odighizuwa: Nick Cammett and Ronald Martinez / Getty Images)
