Jerry Jones’ ‘all-in’ claim for Dallas Cowboys seems like it may have just been an empty promise

Jerry Jones’ declaration of being ‘all-in’ on 2024 may have just been nothing but words.

A month ago, Jerry Jones, of his own volition, told the world that the Dallas Cowboys would be all-in on the 2024 season. Here is a reminder of exactly what he said.

“I would anticipate — with looking ahead at our key contracts that we’d like to address — we will be all in. I would anticipate we will be all in at the end of this year. So when you say is there any thought…we will push the hell out of it.”

“It will be going all in on different people than you’ve done in the past. We will be going all in. We’ve seen some things out of some of the players that we want to be all in on. Yes, I would say that you will see us this coming year not build it for the future. It’s the best way I’ve ever said. And that ought to answer a lot of questions.”

As matters unfold throughout the week at the NFL combine, it has grown more likely that this may yet be another empty promise from the brass of America’s Team. Saying that you will go ‘all-in’ as the dust is settling on a season where you were embarrassed while falling short yet again sounds like you are rounding up the troops to head into battle, when in reality it seems like Jerry may have just been telling us what we wanted to hear.

This conversation has returned to the spotlight this week given that the NFL combine is going on. While the purpose of the event is obviously centered around the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft and the prospects that will be available in it, the combine also serves as an opportunity for representatives from all over the NFL universe to come together.

Generally speaking, important conversations are had regarding future trades between teams, but also between teams and agents/representatives for players. The Cowboys have a handful of important extensions to tend to this offseason (Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons), but according to Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News, they are not exactly participating in a lot of conversations with anyone else.

Gehlken noted that the Cowboys (at the time of his tweet anyway) had fewer scheduled meetings with agents than in years past. Legal tampering hasn’t officially begun, the new league year has not begun, so on and so forth. So the Cowboys have not, technically, not done anything yet.

But this is akin to the precogs in the movie Minority Report envisioning a crime before it happens. That system was proven not to be completely accurate so this one isn’t either, but the writing is on the wall and it is saying that the Cowboys are not planning a spending spree like Jerry’s comments intimated.

When the season ended for Dallas the way that it did, the fanbase needed some sort of carrot to hold on to while dealing with yet another frustrating end to a campaign. Jerry seemingly offered one and either didn’t believe there would ever come a point in time to have to pay the bill on it, or didn’t care how that would ultimately happen.

We will know full well just how serious the Cowboys were/are on this front in less than two weeks. Prepare to be disappointed or risk hoping at your own peril.