New explanation emerges for what Jerry Jones meant by ‘all in’

Jul 26, 2022; Oxnard, CA, USA; Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones at training camp press conference at the River Ridge Fields. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Jerry Jones created the expectation that the Dallas Cowboys were going to have an active offseason when he said the team was going “all in” on 2024, but it now looks like everyone may have misterpeted what Jones meant.

Not long after his team’s embarrassing home loss to the Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs, Jones vowed that the Cowboys will be “going all in” heading into next season. The 81-year-old even said that Dallas is going to focus on 2024 and “not build it for the future.”

Most people thought that meant the Cowboys would be aggressive in free agency, perhaps by pursuing high-priced players and offering them short-term deals. Instead, the team has been roasted over their inactivity in the early part of the offseason.

Then on Tuesday, a report surfaced that said there is no indication the Cowboys are going to sign Dak Prescott to a long-term extension this offseason. Prescott and the Cowboys recently agreed to a minor restructure that lowered the quarterback’s 2024 salary cap number from nearly $60 million to $55.5 million, and that might be where it stays.

As Jon Machota of The Athletic wrote on Wednesday, that might be exactly what Jones meant when he said he is going “all in.” Prescott is entering the final year of his deal, as is Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy.

In other words, Jones may have meant to use the phrase “last hurrah” rather than “all in.” What he might have wanted to say is that he is fully committed to the current iteration of the Cowboys despite three straight 12-win seasons that have ended with playoff disappointment. Perhaps Jones does not want to commit to Prescott and others long term in case the result is the same a year from now.

The Cowboys supposedly missed a big opportunity when they did not contact one free agent, but all of that could be by design. It is very possible that Jones views himself as being “all in” one final time on the team that just choked in the playoffs.