Jerry Jones Turns a Lonely Eye to Eagles

The Cowboys owner will watch his nemesis play in its second Super Bowl in six seasons and third this century while readying to make a big investment in Dak Prescott

Jerry Jones is at the Senior Bowl this week.

His nemesis, the Philadelphia Eagles, is in the Super Bowl. Again.

The Dallas Cowboys owner was asked about how the Eagles and Rams have parlayed aggressive offseasons into Super Bowl appearances, and Jones came across as defensive, and perhaps a bit jealous. 

He was also wrong about the Eagles “emptying the bucket” to make it to the Super Bowl.

“In essence, we're seeing a couple of teams (Eagles and Rams) that have had some real success putting it all out there and paying for it late,” Jones told The Athletic’s John Machota on Wednesday. “Don't think that doesn't pop in my head and get my eye, as far as doing it, and I know how to do that. It's part of what you put in that computer and what comes out. 

"We'll see how it comes. But that's pretty impressive to have two teams in the last two years empty the bucket and get to the Super Bowl. But if you miss, it's a long go.”

Jones says he knows how to do it, yet the Cowboys haven’t been to a Super Bowl in this century, which turned 23 last month. Their last trip was in 1995 and they are 4-9 in the playoffs since 2000 without making it to an NFC title game.

Jerry Jones / USA Today

This is Philly’s third trip to a Super Bowl this century and they just played in their seventh NFC Championship Game, beating the 49ers – a team the Cowboys scored 12 points against a week earlier – with an offense that rang up 31 points to beat San Francisco 31-7.

Jones is right about the Rams “emptying the bucket," but not the Eagles.

LA hasn't had a first-round pick since they took Jared Goff in 2016 and won’t have a first-round pick until 2024. They have gone 1-1 in two Super Bowls after trading away draft capital for players who they thought would help them win a handful of Super Bowls.

The Eagles haven’t done that. 

In fact, GM Howie Roseman enters this spring’s draft with two first-round, owning the Saints’ selection at No. 10 overall and either the 30th or 31st depending on how the Super Bowl plays out (there is no 32nd pick this year because the Dolphins had to forfeit their first-round pick)

The Rams won last year, and the Eagles will try to do it on Feb. 12 in Super Bowl LVII when they face the Kansas City Chiefs.

"Anybody who thinks I won't take a chance, has misread the tea leaves,” said Jones. “But I do think longer term. And I'm real hesitant to bet it all for a year. There's a lot of things that can happen for that year.”

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones sharing his thoughts with reporters today at the Senior Bowl on how the Eagles and Rams turned being aggressive in the offseason into Super Bowl berths the last two seasons: pic.twitter.com/CoPanaV3PQ

— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) February 2, 2023

Jones, who turned 80 in October, then began going on about how aggressive he’s been and how he picks his shots when it comes to risk-taking.

“I've spent a lot of time in my life doing that," he said. "When they cut me open, it will be all those scars, heart attacks, for all those risks I took and the years I spent paying for them. 

"My point is, I do know how to take risks. They are absolutely right. We have been in the middle here for a few years, but I like where we are right now, more in the middle. But given an opportunity, if it would make some sense, I've definitely got risk-taking in me."

One of those risks seems to be re-upping the contract of Dak Prescott for 10 more seasons

Signed through 2024, Jones and his son, Stephen Jones, who is the Cowboys’ CEO and director of player personnel both indicated at the Senior Bowl keeping Prescott under center is a priority even though Prescott is 2-4 in the postseason and hasn’t been out of the divisional round of the playoffs despite being the starting QB for seven seasons.

Philadelphia has its own QB decision to make with Jalen Hurts, who will likely get a new contract at some point this offseason.

Hurts is 2-1 in the postseason and, in just his second year as a starter, has won a conference title and will have already played in a Super Bowl.

Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Fan Nation Eagles Today and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles or www.eaglesmaven.com and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.