Asante Samuel calls for Jerry Jones to retire
Jerral Wayne Jones, owner and general manager of the Dallas Cowboys, faced public retirement calls on September 14, 2026. Former New England Patriots cornerback Asante Samuel delivered the demand on his weekly podcast, Say What Needs To Be Said.
Samuel posted the clip on X within hours of the Cowboys opening the 2026 season with a road defeat. Samuel argued that Jones spent heavily and still got identical results, then closed with a blunt 4-word message telling Jones to retire.
Giants 28, Cowboys 20 at MetLife Stadium
The New York Giants beat the Dallas Cowboys 28-20 on Sunday Night Football at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. New York held the lead after every quarter on September 13.
Dallas fell behind 21-7 during the 3rd quarter before answering with 2 touchdowns. The Cowboys never led, and John Harbaugh earned his first regular-season victory as the Giants’ head coach.
Jaxson Dart outplayed Dak Prescott in opener
Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart completed 23 of 29 passes for 230 yards and 3 touchdowns without an interception. He finished with a passer rating of 134.2.
Dak Prescott completed 22 of 34 passes for 175 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception, producing a passer rating of 84.8. His longest completion gained 19 yards.
Giants held the ball for 36 minutes
New York controlled possession for 36 minutes and 40 seconds, leaving Dallas with only 23 minutes and 20 seconds of offense. The Giants punted one time all evening and ran 68 plays against 52 for the Cowboys.
New York also converted 9 of its 11 3rd-down attempts, a rate above 81%. That efficiency kept the Dallas defense on the field for close to 22 minutes of the second half, according to game charting.
Cowboys drew 9 penalties for 90 yards
Dallas committed 9 penalties for 90 yards, continuing a pattern from 2025, when the Cowboys ranked among the NFL’s most penalized teams. Coach Brian Schottenheimer accepted responsibility for the self-inflicted mistakes.
A taunting penalty on running back Javonte Williams following his 4th-quarter touchdown catch was enforced on the extra-point attempt. Brandon Aubrey then missed the resulting 48-yard kick, leaving the score at 28-20.
Giants outrushed Cowboys 165 yards to 69
New York gained 165 rushing yards on 37 carries, an average of 4.5 yards per attempt. Running back Cam Skattebo opened the scoring with a 3-yard touchdown run during the first quarter of his return.
Dallas managed 69 rushing yards on 18 carries, averaging 3.8 per attempt against the Giants’ front seven. Total offense favored New York 394 yards to 244, a gap of 150 yards across four quarters of football.
Cowboys allowed 511 points during 2025
Dallas surrendered 511 points in 2025, the most in the NFL that season and the highest total any Cowboys defense has allowed. Opponents gained 6,409 yards, including 4,276 through the air.
Dallas allowed an average of 30.1 points per game and finished 7-9-1, placing 2nd in the NFC East and missing the playoffs for a 2nd consecutive season.
Fun fact: Jerry Jones was co-captain of Arkansas’ 1964 national championship team and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017
Christian Parker took over Cowboys defense
Dallas hired Christian Parker as defensive coordinator on January 22, 2026. At age 34, he became the youngest defensive coordinator in franchise history, arriving with 13 years of coaching experience across the college and professional ranks.
Parker spent the previous 2 seasons as Philadelphia’s defensive pass game coordinator and defensive backs coach, a span that included the Eagles’ Super Bowl LIX championship. In his Dallas debut, Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart completed 23 of 29 passes for 230 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Dallas rebuilt its defense before the opener
The Cowboys traded a 2027 4th-round pick to Green Bay for edge rusher Rashan Gary during March 2026, then gave him a revised 2-year contract worth $32 million with $16 million guaranteed at signing.
Dallas also signed safeties Jalen Thompson and P.J. Locke, drafted Ohio State safety Caleb Downs in the first round, and added 8-time Pro Bowl pass rusher Von Miller, a DeSoto native, shortly before the season.
Micah Parsons trade still shapes Dallas
Dallas traded Micah Parsons to Green Bay in August 2025 for defensive tackle Kenny Clark and 1st-round picks in 2026 and 2027. Parsons then signed a 4-year, $188 million extension with the Packers.
After moving down from Green Bay’s original 2026 selection, the Cowboys drafted edge rusher Malachi Lawrence with the No. 23 pick. Against the Giants, Dallas recorded 2 sacks and 6 quarterback hits.
Cowboys are valued at $15.5 billion now
Jones purchased the Cowboys from H.R. “Bum” Bright in February 1989 for approximately $140 million. Sportico valued the franchise and its related holdings at $15.5 billion in August 2026, up 21% from a year earlier and the highest estimate in its NFL rankings.
Forbes released a newer estimate on September 9, valuing the Cowboys at $17 billion. Forbes also listed Dallas with an NFL-leading operating income of $677 million.
Cowboys last reached NFC title game in 1995
Dallas has not appeared in an NFC Championship Game since the 1995 season, the longest active drought in the conference. The franchise won Super Bowl XXX in January 1996 and has not returned to the Super Bowl since.
Nine head coaches have worked under Jones, beginning with Jimmy Johnson, who won 2 championships in 5 seasons. Dallas last reached the playoffs following the 2023 regular season, losing 48-32 at home to Green Bay in the wild-card round.
Jerry Jones’ comments have added another layer to the conversation around the Cowboys’ long-term future. Check out “I don’t have a succession plan,” Jerry Jones makes a stunning Cowboys admission.
Jerry Jones, 83, has named no successor
Jones told The Athletic in August 2026 that he had no succession plan and acknowledged that one day he would no longer be around to offer his opinion. He has served as the Cowboys’ owner, president and general manager since purchasing the franchise in 1989.
His son, Stephen Jones, is the Cowboys’ co-owner, chief operating officer and executive vice president of player personnel. He oversees the salary cap and major player-contract matters. Dallas hosts Washington in its home opener on September 20 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Jerry Jones’ ownership of the Cowboys continues to fuel debate about the franchise’s long-term future. Explore whether Jones might sell part of the Cowboys.
This slideshow was made with AI assistance and human editing.
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