Netflix has released the trailer for America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys, a new docuseries chronicling Jerry Jones’ audacious 1989 acquisition of the Dallas Cowboys and the franchise’s transformation into the most valuable team in sports.
The 10-part series is helmed by Emmy-winning directors Chapman and Maclain Way (Untold, Wild Wild Country) and features a blend of archival footage and original interviews with Cowboys legends, NFL insiders, and cultural figures.
How Did Jerry Jones Turn the Dallas Cowboys Into a Worldwide Juggernaut
In 1989, Jerry Jones made the kind of bet that either destroys you or makes you a legend. He bought the Dallas Cowboys for $140 million, fired Tom Landry the next day, and turned America’s Team into the most valuable franchise in sports. Netflix’s new docuseries shows exactly how he pulled it off.
The series traces Jones’ high-risk, high-reward journey that began with the purchase of the Cowboys and Texas Stadium for $140 million. Of that, $65 million covered the team, and $75 million went toward the stadium.
To close the deal, Jones put up nearly $90 million in personal cash and borrowed the rest, reportedly at interest rates approaching 11 percent, putting almost all his assets on the line.
AMERICA’S TEAM: THE GAMBLER AND HIS COWBOYS
Experience the story of the Dallas Cowboys from a whole new angle in the new Netflix Sports series premiering August 19 pic.twitter.com/pEVF8iIJNn
— Netflix (@netflix) July 14, 2025
After he bought the team, Jones abruptly fired legendary coach Tom Landry and hired college teammate Jimmy Johnson. Under Jones’ leadership, Dallas won three Super Bowls in four years (1992, 1993, 1995) and eventually grew into a brand worth an estimated $9 billion by 2023.
The trailer, released over the weekend, features appearances from Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, Michael Irvin, Deion Sanders, Jimmy Johnson, and Barry Switzer. Notable figures such as George W. Bush, Nike co-founder Phil Knight, and Rupert Murdoch provide additional commentary.
Narrated over the poem “Invictus”, the teaser sets an epic tone: “This is the story of a man who bet big, clashed with icons, and built a football empire.”
Since Jones bought the Cowboys, he has been wildly influential in reshaping the NFL and proving himself as a marketing and entertainment juggernaut. While some fans may disagree with his team-building since the days of Johnson, no one can argue with how he helped turn the NFL into a global brand.
Some have called Jones a shadow commissioner. He exerted his influence to bring the Rams back to Los Angeles and used the NFL’s brand to bring more money into the league than anyone before him.
Beyond his team-building decisions, Jones has been credited with convincing his fellow owners to “grow the pie” and orchestrating a movement to make Paul Tagliabue commissioner instead of Pete Rozelle and legacy owner’s hand-picked choice, Jim Finks. At the same time, he was instrumental in the deal with Fox that moved the NFC television package from CBS.
Jones was the first owner to recognize the NFL as the greatest unscripted drama in America, offering weekly story arcs, star power, rivalries, and suspenseful conclusions in real time on game days.
That entertainment-first mentality, positioning games as content rather than just competition, reshaped how the league negotiated with broadcasters and advertisers. It led to record-setting broadcast rights deals in the early 1990s and laid the foundation for Sunday Night Football, NFL Sunday Ticket, and later Red Zone.
Americas Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys is set to premiere August 19 on Netflix.
