According to Campbellsville University, a sports GM “supervises the day-to-day operations of a team or organization, ensuring that everything runs smoothly.”

“The Cowboys are a soap opera 365 days a year. When it gets slow, I’ll stir it up.”

That’s a real quote from Jerry Jones in a cinematically filmed Netflix special. Does this ideology seem smooth to you?

Sports fans love to say, “This person ruined our franchise.” But Jerry doesn’t just hold the most responsibility for 30 years of mediocre football—he’s fundamentally, by definition, the antithesis of what an NFL executive should be.

August 28th, 5:13 PM EST in Atlanta, Georgia.
I close my copy of Frank Herbert’s Dune, apprehensively taking my phone out of airplane mode. Ninety minutes earlier, Adam Schefter had posted a tweet letting the NFL world know Dallas was listening to trades. Given my discouraging 24 years of organizational antics, I had a sinking feeling in my gut. 62 texts. 6 missed calls. You know what that means—everybody wants to hear from their Cowboys-fan friend.

Truthfully? I didn’t think the billionaire businessman would be this clueless. But he is—and I’ve got plenty of reasons why this move was management malpractice.

Micah Wanted to Stay in Dallas

Before the deal went through, Micah and David Mulugheta gave the Jones family one more chance.

Micah grew up in Pennsylvania, a lonely Cowboys fan in enemy territory. He loved the star and wanted to stay in Dallas for his whole career. He said this before, during, and after the trade to the Cowboys beat writers and on social media.

But as we know, pride is the devil.

Jerry’s ego lost him a perennial DPOY candidate. He wanted to cut the agent out of negotiations, and the 26-year-old star—rightfully—included a wiser businessman. This is the one shot to change his family’s life. That injured the oil baron’s feelings. And the second he feels disrespected, the organization’s best interest is gone.

The Haul Wasn’t Enough

This trade came at the worst time in the NFL calendar. Right now, every franchise is set. Roster and cap situations are locked in a week before the season. If you’re trying to move a superstar, do it before the draft. You’d get more draft capital and better player potential. That’s common knowledge in NFL circles.

But Jerry was more worried about entertainment than winning, so he must’ve missed the memo.

Two first-round picks—one for the stacked 2027 draft—is a huge get. Kenny Clark fills the 1-tech hole the Cowboys have had for a decade. In fact, he and Osa Odighizuwa will be one of the best interior D-line duos in the NFC.

But does that haul equate to Micah Parsons?
Not even close.

Since drafting Micah, the Cowboys rank 1st in defensive EPA. When he’s absent? 31st. He’s 26. Star pass rushers this young don’t end up on the trade block. The equation “10-year vet + two late first-rounders” does not equal Micah’s production.

You might ask, “Jack, what should the criteria have been?”

This trade should’ve included a young star. Edgerrin Cooper or Matthew Golden would’ve sufficed. Green Bay could’ve thrown in Cooper. If not, at least a couple of Day 2 picks. But they didn’t, participating in a robbery.

Accommodating Adorcism

The Cowboys exorcised a demon in 2022, beating Tom Brady and winning a road playoff game. But something else still haunts the DFW area. And not only have they failed to overcome it—they’ve let it fester.

In 2014, Dez caught the ball.
In 2016, Jared Cook toe-dragged.
In 2023, Aaron Jones had a homecoming.

Since AT&T Stadium opened in 2009, the Cowboys haven’t beaten the Packers at home. In Week 4 of 2025, guess who travels to Arlington?

Call me competitive. Call me a man with an ego of my own. Call me whatever you want—as long as you understand I’m someone who would do everything in my power not to enable Dallas’s most significant rival of the 21st century to stay ahead.

And Jerry gave them his budding superstar.

Zero Correlation

In the spring, the Cowboys refused to re-sign contributors like Jourdan Lewis to save cap space for the future. Then they turned around and traded for George Pickens—a move to “win now.”

So which is it?

Moves like that suggest urgency. But trading Micah for future assets sends the opposite signal. The Cowboys are in limbo—trying to build for the future and win now. You can’t do both.

Aimless movement without a goal leads to failure. Until the Cowboys align on a vision, they’ll never do more than win the NFC East.

In Conclusion

Dak is 32. The other stars are on second contracts. Dallas already traded draft capital for starters. The formula required addition, not subtraction.

Deciding to put the car in reverse instead of flooring the pedal is why—once again—a generation of kids will grow up without seeing a Cowboys Super Bowl.

And sometimes I wonder—when Jerry is alone in one of his many homes, staring into gold-framed mirrors—if social media engagement satisfies him.