The Dallas Cowboys have not won a Super Bowl in around 30 years, with their last one being in 1996 during the dynasty era. Fans are not happy with the drought, and neither are the players from that 1990s Cowboys dynasty, including former Florida Gator and Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith, who was one of the dynasty era’s best running backs.
Smith, who attended the premiere of the Netflix documentary about the dynasty-era Cowboys titled “America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys,” was asked about the current Super Bowl drought that the Cowboys are experiencing, and he says that owner Jerry Jones is not to blame, but the players.
“Well, Jerry never caught a pass. He never ran the ball and he damn sure didn’t throw it,” he said. “At some point players have got to take on ownership of what they’ve been trained and what they’ve been taught to do. We had to do it. We won back-to-back Super Bowls, and then we lost our leader [coach Jimmy Johnson] and we were in disarray for a year.”
Emmitt Smith when asked about Jerry Jones’ role in the Cowboys’ Super Bowl drought pic.twitter.com/e1CmR6AKSW
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) August 12, 2025
This soon led to fans pushing back at Smith for saying that Jones is also not to blame.
“Kissing the ring. Emmitt is embarrassing himself here,” one fan said.
“Blame the players but at the end of the day, Jerry chooses who plays for his team. So it still falls upon Jerry lol,” another fan said.
“Different times, owner living in the past. That doesn’t work today Emmitt,” one Cowboys fan added.
“The Cowboys’ Super Bowl drought is all on Jerry Jones and on no one else,” noted another person.
“Salary cap put a stop to any chances of the Jones fam winning anything,” a fan added.
“Facts… if he (owner/front office staff) choose the players, ….its their damn jobs to get it…..no questions asked, none given,” one fan pointed out.
Jerry Jones’ Dallas Cowboys Management Has History of Fumbling Players
Meanwhile, much of the fan backlash directed at the Dallas Cowboys’ management is for them notably fumbling players and not retaining stars during free agency. While the Cowboys have had a history of getting great players, the team has struggled retaining them.
The team’s salary cap flexibility has taken a hit as contract negotiations with stars like CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons have gone on longer than expected. In comparison, their opponents have been doing better at retaining players and managing their contracts, especially sworn rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles.
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2026 NFL Mock Draft: Dallas Cowboys Predicted To Land Next RB1 in Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love
