Jerry Jones has spent 37 years making the Dallas Cowboys unmistakably his. As the owner, president, and general manager, he handles roster decisions, microphones, and controversy with the same enthusiasm, which makes imagining Dallas without him feel less like a normal succession plan and more like changing the personality of the franchise.
Troy Aikman believes that change will eventually be obvious, largely because Stephen Jones operates nothing like his father.
Troy Aikman Expects a Different Cowboys Operation
“I’m not pushing Jerry out by any means, but when that day comes, it’s gonna feel a lot different,” Aikman told The Athletic’s Zak Keffer.
Aikman spent his entire 12-year playing career with the Cowboys, winning three Super Bowls after Jerry purchased the team in 1989. His impression of Stephen centers less on football philosophy than on temperament.
“From my interactions with him, Stephen doesn’t have the ego his father has,” Aikman said. “That’ll serve him well.”
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Stephen is hardly waiting outside the executive suite for his turn. The Cowboys list him as chief operating officer and co-owner, while he also serves as executive vice president of player personnel and president of AT&T Stadium. His responsibilities already include overseeing scouting, personnel, salary-cap management, and major contract negotiations.
Aikman remembers another quality dating back to his earliest interactions with Stephen.
“Stephen’s just got this gift of making you feel like you’re the most important person he’s seen all day,” Aikman added.
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Dallas’ Next Era Could Feature Less Theater
Jerry’s willingness to turn roster business into public theater has been part of the Cowboys’ experience for decades. Stephen has generally built a reputation as the more measured negotiator, something former Dallas safety Darren Woodson also highlighted in The Athletic’s examination of the eventual transition.
Aikman believes that the difference could extend to how credit gets distributed inside the organization.
“Stephen will be less inclined to want to get all the credit,” he said. “And I think he’ll create an environment conducive to winning.”
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That last part carries considerable weight in Dallas. The Cowboys finished 7-9-1 in 2025 and missed the playoffs, extending a conference championship drought that dates to the 1995 season. Their 64.7 PFN Team Impact grade ranked 29th in the NFL, a strange result for a club whose offense ranked 7th on PFN’s Offense Impact Metric because its defense finished dead last on PFN’s Defense Impact Metric.
Stephen already has fingerprints across the roster decisions meant to change that trajectory, but Jerry remains firmly in charge. He was still discussing potential blockbuster trades during training camp this summer and remains Dallas’ owner, president, and general manager.
Aikman is not predicting when the transfer of power happens. His prediction is about what follows it.
The Cowboys will stay in the Jones family. If Aikman is right, they just may stop feeling quite so much like Jerry’s world.
