For the Dallas Cowboys, another disappointing season is over, but for owner Jerry Jones, the real drama is just beginning. At his end-of-season press conference, Jones didn’t just lament the team’s failures; he promised to ‘do some dramatic things,’ signaling a radical approach to the offseason.

“While Dak [Prescott] is playing the game and got it down the way he’s got it, we want to get out here and do better than what we did this year,” Jerry Jones said. “So a combination of those things gives us the incentive to, dare I say it, bust the budget to try to get something down now, yes. We’ll do some dramatic things.”

As long as Dak Prescott remains the quarterback in Dallas, Jones clearly believes the team should be competing at a higher level. And when it’s all said and done, Jones wants to be remembered as the most successful team owner, as his ultimate goal is to win more Super Bowls than any owner in NFL history. While Jones already has three Super Bowls in his bag, there’s still a long way to go. So, the first step towards making the Cowboys a winning team will come for Jones in free agency. 

When asked how active the Cowboys plan to be once free agency opens on March 11, 2026, Jones hinted that Dallas may finally be ready to spend.

“I don’t want to sound by saying we’re going to be active in free agency, then disappoint and say that we weren’t,” Jones told reporters. “But if we have an opportunity in free agency, and if we have more than one opportunity, we’re going to take advantage of the fact that we’re in better shape today to play free agency than we thought we might be. And so we’re going to use it.”

With so much money tied up in elite players, Jerry knows the front office can’t afford mistakes. The team must be precise and calculated to fill holes through both free agency and the draft if they want to seriously contend in 2026. 

But a major reason Jones feels more flexible now traces back to the shocking Micah Parsons trade before the 2025 season. While that move still feels controversial, in Jones’ eyes, the best part of that deal hasn’t even arrived yet, as it includes an extra first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft from the Green Bay Packers.

“We definitely are going to take advantage of these two number ones,” the owner said. “Don’t think that we couldn’t do some trading here with those two number ones. All of the value that you get out of having these extra picks and having some flexibility under the cap, we’re going to take advantage of it.”

Two first-round picks create options, but it also comes with some pressure on Jerry Jones to finally get it right. The Cowboys need help almost everywhere on defense behind linemen Kenny Clark and Quinnen Williams. With so many holes, it wouldn’t be surprising if Jones uses both of those picks on defensive players. But before any rookies arrive, Dallas has another major decision to make.

After finishing the 2025 season with the NFL’s worst scoring defense with 30.1 points per game allowed, Dallas fired DC Matt Eberflus on January 6. So, the Cowboys will enter 2026 with their fourth defensive coordinator in four seasons. But this time, Jerry Jones seems determined to find the right personality as much as the right strategist in a new DC.

“I’d like to take a double handful of this guy’s [Brian Schottenheimer] qualities right here and say, ‘now that’s what we’re looking for in a defensive coordinator,’” Jones said. “Real passion, real enthusiasm, great, I’m talking double great, ability to communicate with players. I’ll start right there.”

Jerry also did not rule out hiring a first-time DC in Dallas. It’s a gamble, but at this point, what isn’t a gamble in Dallas? Ultimately, Jones is hoping for a better future for his team under head coach Brian Schottenheimer after watching this season spiral out of control.

Jerry Jones’ team wraps up a season filled with struggles

The Cowboys may have wasted a great season from Prescott by fielding one of the worst defenses in the franchise’s history. But Dallas’ offense could not escape some blame either. Inconsistency showed up at the worst times. While they finished the season with 133 penalties, which is the most in the league, there were also over 300 yards lost to dropped passes in Dallas’ offense. 

Those mistakes didn’t just hurt drives – they cost Dak Prescott a nearly 5,000-yard season and an opportunity to lead the NFL in passing. Prescott also ended a season with a losing record of 7-9-1 for the first time while being healthy. So, his frustration with the Cowboys showed after the final game.

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Still, Prescott took responsibility as a leader as he looks forward to improving in the offseason. But the disappointment runs deeper at the top as Jerry Jones talked about Dallas’ record this season in the end-of-season presser.

“I am disappointed that we aren’t in the playoffs, and we aren’t in good shape to be in the playoffs,” Jerry Jones told reporters. “That is a disappointment.”

Moreover, now the Cowboys have no choice but to look for major changes next season. And as Jones himself suggested, they may finally do something dramatic this offseason.