Last season, the Cowboys missed the playoffs entirely after tallying a lowly 7-10 record. Star quarterback Dak Prescott was limited to only eight games due to a hamstring injury. The empty campaign prompted Jones to go in a different direction, promoting Brian Schottenheimer as coach to replace Mike McCarthy.

While fans have blamed the 82-year-old Jones for the Cowboys’ recent woes, citing his perceived incompetence, team icon Emmitt Smith didn’t fully subscribe to the idea.

“Jerry never called the pockets. He never ran the ball, and he damn sure didn’t throw it. So at some point, players got to take ownership of what they’ve been trained and what they’ve been taught to do. We had to do it. We went to back-to-back Super Bowls, and then we lost our leader. We were in disarray for a year. But as a player and with the leadership of that ballclub, we took it upon ourselves to say, ‘This is what we’re going to do,’” said Emmitt, who won three titles in Dallas, in a video posted by The Athletic’s Jon Machota.

“We’ve been trained to work. We were built from the ground up. So that foundation never left.”

Emmitt Smith when asked about Jerry Jones’ role in the Cowboys’ Super Bowl drought pic.twitter.com/e1CmR6AKSW

— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) August 12, 2025

After winning consecutive titles in 1993 and 1994, Jimmy Johnson resigned as coach. Despite his exit, the Cowboys advanced to the NFC Championship Game but lost to the San Francisco 49ers. They reclaimed the crown the following year.

Jones has clashed with his players over the years. The latest is defensive end Micah Parsons, who recently requested a trade amid his contract holdout.

Smith, who has maintained a close relationship with Jones, stressed the importance of always being aware of the bigger picture.

“It’s not all about you all the time. It’s about bringing others with you because you can’t win by yourself,” added the Hall of Fame running back.