Ahead of Monday's clash with the Arizona Cardinals, Dallas Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones teased a potential move ahead of Tuesday's NFL trade deadline. In an appearance on "The Stephen A. Smith Show," the 83-year-old billionaire revealed that the Cowboys had made a trade and that everyone "read about that when we send the papers in tomorrow."
Cowboys fans know how much Jones likes to tease going "all in," especially since a win or loss against the Cardinals could, in theory, impact any trade deadline plans. Well, it turns out that an embarrassing 27-17 loss to Arizona did anything but that, as Dallas' owner seems to still have his sights set on the trade market despite America's Team falling to 3-5-1.
"We still can, yes," Jones told reporters about a potential trade deadline deal, per The Athletic's Jon Machota. "I've said what I said... We'll see how tomorrow goes. Today was all about tomorrow... You should wait to see what we do tomorrow."
Jerry Jones Sends Wrong Message to Cowboys Fans After Loss
There was little to like about the Cowboys' Week 9 effort, and the blown opportunity to climb back to .500 should have the front office rethinking any trade plans. Instead, Jones sounds like he still believes that Dallas can compete for a Super Bowl, and that a trade is worth making even though the season is all but certainly lost.
In what world does Jones think trading is a good idea when the playoffs are becoming more of a pipedream by each passing week? The Cowboys' offense was running on all cylinders until colliding with the Cardinals, so it isn't as if a boost is needed there. That means a potential deal might address the defense, is more than one player away from being fixed, especially as long as defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus is guiding the ship.
An owner with self-awareness likely would say that Monday's loss has the team rethinking any trade plans, but that isn't the case. Instead, it looks like Jones is going to give up some draft capital for a player who — regardless of how good they are — likely won't be enough to save the season. It'd be a better idea to save those picks for the offseason, when a trade would be easier to pull off and would give any addition more time to gel with the coaching staff and players.
The Cowboys' season is nearing the point of no return, if it isn't already there, and Jones needs to realize this. He doesn't gain anything by gaslighting Dallas fans into thinking they're one move away from a Super Bowl run, and continuing to hype up an unknown deal further shows that improving the Cowboys isn't as much of a concern as the natural gas that he's eyeing.
Perhaps that's fitting, since a lot of what Jones has said in recent years has been a lot of hot air without any real substance. Regardless, the Cowboys' situation will only worsen as long as he refuses to open his eyes.
Then again, maybe Jones' eyes are already wide open and he just doesn't care as much as fans wish he would.