{"id":94837,"date":"2025-09-18T08:39:07","date_gmt":"2025-09-18T08:39:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=94837"},"modified":"2025-09-18T08:39:07","modified_gmt":"2025-09-18T08:39:07","slug":"cowboys-raiders-decades-without-super-bowls-after-nfl-lawsuits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=94837","title":{"rendered":"Cowboys &#038; Raiders: Decades Without Super Bowls After NFL Lawsuits"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"post-featured-container-id\">\n<div id=\"post-featured\">\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/GettyImages-2167222705.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=780\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 820px) 95vw, 780px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/GettyImages-2167222705.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=780 780w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/GettyImages-2167222705.jpg?quality=15&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/GettyImages-2167222705.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1350 1350w\" alt=\"Cowboys &amp; Raiders: Decades Without Super Bowls After NFL Lawsuits\" width=\"780\" height=\"520\" \/><\/figure>\n<div>\n<p>Getty Images<\/p>\n<p>The Cowboys and Raiders have not appeared in the Super Bowl for several decades following NFL lawsuits.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The Las Vegas Raiders and Dallas Cowboys are both renowned NFL teams. During their time, both were exceptional, winning multiple Super Bowl titles and shaping the league\u2019s identity by playing dominantly and leading boldly.<\/p>\n<p>The Raiders have had a prolonged drought since their last championship in 1983, and the Cowboys have had their most recent in 1995.<\/p>\n<p>Their legendary, yet controversial owners, Al Davis of the Raiders and Jerry Jones of the Cowboys, are the originators of these struggles.\u00a0Despite their reputation as mavericks, each man fought legal battles with the NFL, which strengthened their ownership model centered on control, ego, and reluctance to delegate.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Raiders: Al Davis\u2019 Post-Lawsuit Decline<\/h2>\n<p>Al Davis held the responsibility of displaying the Raiders\u2019 rebellious nature.<\/p>\n<p>The NFL\u2019s 1980 lawsuits for franchise relocation and antitrust issues enabled him to take control of the league. Following the courtroom victories, Davis\u2019s behavior became increasingly insolent and confrontational, ultimately leading to the organization\u2019s collapse.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Davis refused to hire a general manager due to his insistence on controlling all personnel decisions. His fixation on speed and spectacle led to questionable draft picks while other franchises secured future Hall of Famers.<\/li>\n<li><strong data-end=\"1653\" data-start=\"1628\">Clashes with Coaches:<\/strong> His high-profile feud with Jon Gruden, which culminated in trading the coach to Tampa Bay in 2002, backfired spectacularly. Gruden\u2019s Buccaneers trounced the Raiders in <strong data-end=\"1843\" data-start=\"1822\">Super Bowl XXXVII<\/strong>, exploiting his intimate knowledge of Davis\u2019s playbook.<\/li>\n<li><strong data-end=\"1927\" data-start=\"1904\">Roster Instability:<\/strong> Without a modern scouting system and with Davis\u2019s narrow approach, the team cycled through draft busts, weakening its competitive core.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Two decades of mediocrity were the result of leadership turnover and declining credibility. The lawsuits didn\u2019t directly doom the Raiders; Davis\u2019s power consolidation and refusal to adapt ultimately led to the franchise becoming irrelevant long after his passing.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Cowboys: Jerry Jones\u2019 Era of Control<\/h2>\n<p>After buying the Cowboys in 1989, Jerry Jones burst onto the NFL scene and became the face of the franchise right away. The team\u2019s most valuable brand in the league was the result of his bold business strategies.<\/p>\n<p>The legal battles with the NFL over merchandising rights in the 1990s and later disputes with commissioner Roger Goodell solidified his position as an owner who is unwilling to give up control.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li data-end=\"3026\" data-start=\"2801\">\n<p data-end=\"3026\" data-start=\"2803\"><strong data-end=\"2831\" data-start=\"2803\">No General Manager Role:<\/strong> Like Davis, Jones refused to appoint a traditional general manager. Declaring himself both owner and GM, he blurred the lines between business and football, undermining operational efficiency.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-end=\"3270\" data-start=\"3027\">\n<p data-end=\"3270\" data-start=\"3029\"><strong data-end=\"3051\" data-start=\"3029\">Coaching Carousel:<\/strong> Since winning Super Bowl XXX in 1995, the Cowboys have cycled through coaches, with Jones often inserting himself into football decisions. This interference prevented the franchise from building a consistent culture.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-end=\"3492\" data-start=\"3271\">\n<p data-end=\"3492\" data-start=\"3273\"><strong data-end=\"3297\" data-start=\"3273\">Postseason Futility:<\/strong> Despite assembling talented rosters with stars like Tony Romo, Ezekiel Elliott, and Dak Prescott, the Cowboys have posted a disappointing <strong data-end=\"3459\" data-start=\"3436\">5-13 playoff record<\/strong> since their last championship.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The NFL\u2019s most valuable franchise remains the Joneses\u2019 Cowboys, but their on-field performance lags behind expectations, making the paradox all the more stark.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Lawsuits as Catalysts for Owner Dominance<\/h2>\n<p>Davis and Jones have striking similarities. Their lawsuits against the NFL did not solely cause the decline, but they played a significant role in intensifying the isolation and increasing owner dominance.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li data-end=\"4017\" data-start=\"3904\">\n<p data-end=\"4017\" data-start=\"3906\">For Davis, court victories reinforced his lone-wolf mentality and distanced him from modern collaboration.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-end=\"4157\" data-start=\"4018\">\n<p data-end=\"4157\" data-start=\"4020\">For Jones, his legal clashes bolstered his belief in centralized authority, cementing his role as the Cowboys\u2019 ultimate decision-maker.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Both cases saw the replacement of modern, football-centric management structures by pride and ego.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Comparing the Las Vegas Raiders and Dallas Cowboys Since Their Last Titles<\/h2>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Team<\/th>\n<th>Last Super Bowl Win<\/th>\n<th>Owner Decisions Post-Lawsuit<\/th>\n<th>Performance Since<\/th>\n<th>Key Issues<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Raiders<\/td>\n<td>1983 (Super Bowl XVIII)<\/td>\n<td>Al Davis refused GM, traded Gruden, poor drafts<\/td>\n<td>No Super Bowls, sporadic playoff appearances<\/td>\n<td>Instability, outdated scouting, owner interference<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Cowboys<\/td>\n<td>1995 (Super Bowl XXX)<\/td>\n<td>Jerry Jones as GM, constant coaching changes<\/td>\n<td>5-13 playoff record since 1995<\/td>\n<td>Coaching turnover, lack of delegation, meddling<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>The Power of Delegation in Achieving Success<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Modern football franchises demonstrate the importance of effective delegation and separating responsibilities to sustain success. Bill Belichick\u2019s New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs with Andy Reid and Brett Veach are two prime examples.<\/p>\n<p>Empowering the football minds of these organizations results in the growth of specialized leadership in their respective roles. By adopting this approach, their consistent performance and championship pursuits can be aided by its innovation, accountability, and unified vision.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><strong>The Consequences of Ego-Driven Control<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>For some time now, the Raiders and Cowboys have been having issues with their desire for personal control and making decisions based on their egos instead of the other two teams.<\/p>\n<p>The NFL\u2019s conflicts with them, which involve legal disputes involving owners such as Al Davis and Jerry Jones, demonstrate a lack of collaboration and a preference for individual power over organizational unity.<\/p>\n<p>The owners of these teams have experienced lengthy championship droughts as a result of their inability to delegate, despite maintaining their iconic brands and legacies. These franchises will have trouble reclaiming their former glory until they adopt a collaborative structure that prioritizes football.<\/p>\n<p>Landon Buford Landon Buford is a Heavy Sports contributor. I&#8217;m a Washington State graduate with a Bachelors degree in Sociology. In the past, I&#8217;ve had stops at RESPECT Magazine, The Dallas Observer, USA Today, SI, Forbes, PlayersTV, Vayner Media, and The Hype Magazine. My interest is in Sports, Entertainment, Culture, and Tech. More about Landon Buford<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Examine the ways in which Al Davis and Jerry Jones&#8217; lawsuits against the NFL resulted in decades of struggles for the Raiders and Cowboys.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":94838,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-94837","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Cowboys &amp; Raiders: Decades Without Super Bowls After NFL Lawsuits - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=94837\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Cowboys &amp; Raiders: Decades Without Super Bowls After NFL Lawsuits - NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Examine the ways in which Al Davis and Jerry Jones&#039; lawsuits against the NFL resulted in decades of struggles for the Raiders and Cowboys.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=94837\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-09-18T08:39:07+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/LUU-4-7.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"MrLuu\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"MrLuu\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=94837\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=94837\",\"name\":\"Cowboys & Raiders: Decades Without Super Bowls After NFL Lawsuits - NEWS USA\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=94837#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=94837#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/LUU-4-7.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-09-18T08:39:07+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-09-18T08:39:07+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/301df8231b74387730cd1ed513c32f69\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=94837#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=94837\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=94837#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/LUU-4-7.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/LUU-4-7.jpg\",\"width\":1080,\"height\":1080},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=94837#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Cowboys &#038; Raiders: Decades Without Super Bowls After NFL Lawsuits\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/\",\"name\":\"NEWS USA\",\"description\":\"Your Daily Dose of Sports News and Updates\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/301df8231b74387730cd1ed513c32f69\",\"name\":\"MrLuu\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dc1fd3814c4cb3d1816165db2274a22bac8ad2b5452a36bf175d03eafdd0ecc5?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dc1fd3814c4cb3d1816165db2274a22bac8ad2b5452a36bf175d03eafdd0ecc5?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"MrLuu\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?author=8\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Cowboys & Raiders: Decades Without Super Bowls After NFL Lawsuits - NEWS USA","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=94837","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Cowboys & Raiders: Decades Without Super Bowls After NFL Lawsuits - NEWS USA","og_description":"Examine the ways in which Al Davis and Jerry Jones' lawsuits against the NFL resulted in decades of struggles for the Raiders and Cowboys.","og_url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=94837","og_site_name":"NEWS USA","article_published_time":"2025-09-18T08:39:07+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1080,"height":1080,"url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/LUU-4-7.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"MrLuu","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"MrLuu","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=94837","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=94837","name":"Cowboys & Raiders: Decades Without Super Bowls After NFL Lawsuits - NEWS USA","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=94837#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=94837#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/LUU-4-7.jpg","datePublished":"2025-09-18T08:39:07+00:00","dateModified":"2025-09-18T08:39:07+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/301df8231b74387730cd1ed513c32f69"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=94837#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=94837"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=94837#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/LUU-4-7.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/LUU-4-7.jpg","width":1080,"height":1080},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=94837#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Cowboys &#038; Raiders: Decades Without Super Bowls After NFL Lawsuits"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/","name":"NEWS USA","description":"Your Daily Dose of Sports News and Updates","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/301df8231b74387730cd1ed513c32f69","name":"MrLuu","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dc1fd3814c4cb3d1816165db2274a22bac8ad2b5452a36bf175d03eafdd0ecc5?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dc1fd3814c4cb3d1816165db2274a22bac8ad2b5452a36bf175d03eafdd0ecc5?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"MrLuu"},"url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?author=8"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94837","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=94837"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94837\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":94839,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94837\/revisions\/94839"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/94838"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=94837"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=94837"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=94837"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}