For almost three decades, Jerry Jones has been the NFL’s most visible owner and maybe its most divisive. His fingerprints are on every Dallas Cowboys headline, whether a big-money signing, a prime-time playoff disappointment, or a front-office standoff with a franchise cornerstone. Now, with the team’s championship drought stretching past 29 years, and Micah Parsons’ contract saga dominating the summer. The conversation around Jones has shifted from business brilliance to whether his approach is keeping Dallas from its own promised land. That sentiment spilled into the national spotlight when one of Hollywood’s biggest stars decided to say out loud what many Cowboys fans have been feeling.

Denzel Washington, the New York-raised, two-time Academy Award victor, has been a Cowboys supporter since the 1960s. He was on ESPN’s First Take promoting his new film Highest 2 Lowest when he made an impromptu swerve. Diverting from the movie conversation, Washington came directly at Jones. “I don’t like what (Jones) is doing… I respect the owner, but I don’t like what it’s doing to the fans. He’s not thinking about us, the fans. He’s thinking about his pockets. It’s like… there’s box office and there’s the Oscars. And you ain’t been to (the Oscars) in a minute.” He went on and included: “All money ain’t good money, Jerry!”

Washington’s words hit home because they summarized years of Cowboys frustration into one cinematic metaphor. The “box office vs. Oscars” line gets to the essence of a fan base tired of off-field sizzle drowning out on-field substance. The Cowboys are the NFL’s most valuable franchise. But that valuation has done little to ease the pain of successive postseason departures. To Washington and many fans, the trophy case has been collecting dust while the marketing machine continues to whir.

His criticism stung, too, because it wasn’t tinged with bitterness from a detached observer. It was from one who has worn the star proudly for decades. By characterizing Jones’ administration as entertainment without praise. Washington brought into focus what fans fear: that the organization now cares more about show than football consistency. For a fan base that still judges itself by Lombardi Trophies, that’s a difficult pill to swallow.

The timing of Washington’s remarks only served to increase their effect. Micah Parsons, Dallas’ defensive star, is still at odds with his contract after a trade request. Parsons missed four games last season but still notched 12 sacks, his fourth consecutive double-digit sack season, making him among the most dominant defenders in the league.

But negotiations with Jones and the front office have ceased, leaving the owner to say to the media that he’s “absolutely not” sure Parsons will be in uniform for the opener against Philadelphia. In that context, Washington’s taunt about “thinking about his pockets” sounds less like a metaphor and more like an explicit mention of how Jones is managing his most precious defensive property.

Inside the locker room — Quiet echoes of the same sentiment for Jerry Jones?

To Cowboys fans, Denzel Washington’s words were less celebrity sound bite and more like déjà vu. The veteran actor’s message to Jerry Jones to stop making things more complicated than they need to be came when Dallas’ most electric star, Micah Parsons, had just publicly rocked the boat by suggesting a trade on social media. To the public, the formula was old as it was familiar. An owner publicly proclaiming optimism, a marquee performer venting frustration, and a team engaged in a trying-to-goose-one-another staring contest regarding the future. 

Business as usual for Jerry Jones, though, who has built his reputation holding court at the negotiating table and setting terms, even if only by extending deals. In Jones’ own language, timing and leverage trump public opinion, and the Cowboys’ brand has always been “bigger than any one player.” In fact, his motto is – “If we get that offensive line rolling, we’ll have a good team.” So, obviously, Parsons’ contract isn’t very important to him for now.

Micah doesn’t see it that way. He’s been Dallas’ face of defense since day one, and with each All-Pro season, he’s made it clear that he’s not just a cog in the machine. That dance between owner patience and player desperation is the same one Washington’s comment inadvertently repeated. And, of course, Dallas has done this before.

Dak Prescott went through a near-identical media spectacle before finally signing what was then the largest QB deal in NFL history. Before Dak, there were other stars like Dez Bryant and Ezekiel Elliott who all had their own drawn-out, very public fights with Jones. And in each case, the same script plays out. Jones stalls on the contract, the player becomes restless, and the media lapped up every word, every tweet, every rumor. Washington’s message perhaps oversimplified things. But in Dallas, the model has always been the same.

This is not a rebuilding season for Dallas; it’s a year universally considered to be a make-or-break season for the Super Bowl hopes of the existing roster. Any distraction, particularly one tied to a Defensive Player of the Year candidate, risks taking energy from the goal at hand.