The Jimmy-Jerry Soap Opera: A Look Back at the Infamous Feud
I foolishly thought that events and the passage of time — you know, 30 years and the induction of Jimmy Johnson into the Cowboys’ Ring of Honor — would bring closure to the retelling of the Jimmy-Jerry soap opera and how it ended in tatters in 1994. But since the local club is giving those of us in the media (a group that now includes Netflix) little else to ponder as we barrel into the 30th straight season without an NFC title game appearance, here we go again.
The Netflix Documentary: “America’s Team”
I don’t want to dissect all eight segments of Netflix’s “America’s Team” documentary, which, above all else, is the Story of Jerry Jones. It may be a Jerry overload for some Cowboys fans, especially when they keep cutting away from the biggest win in franchise history — the ‘92 NFC Championship Game in San Francisco that made three Super Bowls in four years possible — to tell tales of Jerry’s childhood in Arkansas. I get the point, I’ve actually been on television before, but it’s a little much.
Anyway, there are plenty of entertaining segments and characters (how could there not be with Jimmy and Michael and Barry and Charles Haley and Co.?) but I want to focus on Episode 5. That’s when it all fell apart in the spring of 1994. Thankfully, the Netflix producers had my former colleagues Ed Werder and Rick Gosselin on camera to tell the tale of what happened at the Orlando owners’ meetings where Jimmy blew off Jerry’s toast and Jerry followed up later that night with his “500 coaches could win Super Bowls with this team” quote.
“I took a lot of pride in putting together that team, you know? And when you diminish that, that hurt me.” 💔
Jimmy Johnson on Jerry Jones saying 500 coaches could have won those Super Bowls with the Cowboys.
America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys is now playing. pic.twitter.com/6v3S29gqE2
— Netflix Sports (@netflixsports) August 22, 2025
A Missed Opportunity
The fact that they missed me telling what happened when Jimmy returned to Dallas — I talked him into allowing Frank Luksa and Gosselin and I to come to his house in Valley Ranch to spend several hours as he scrubbed his fish tanks and shouted “the c—sucker is taking my team from me” followed by “I’m sorry, Mama” as Mr. and Mrs. Johnson of Port Arthur, Texas, sat quietly on the couch — is unfortunate. It was quite a scene. But they missed something much greater in an otherwise expansive look back at the weirdest firing/quitting moment in sports history, which I will get to shortly.
The Trigger for the Feud
Seeing clips of Peter Jennings, Diane Sawyer and Connie Chung talking about Jimmy/Jerry reminds one of just how enormous this sports story became. There’s a great moment from Jerry, talking about going home the night after the press conference and listening to his wife, Gene, tell him he just can’t stand it when things are good. It’s emotional for Jerry and for the viewers, too.
The best quote they got from Jimmy: “I should have been more understanding. I was in my own little world. And I was very comfortable in my own little world.”
And Jimmy had checked out on the Cowboys. I ran into him and wife Rhonda (girlfriend at the time) in Valley Ranch near where the 7-11 once stood by the Cowboys Sports Cafe. It was in early March, before the owners’ meetings but long after the combine. I asked him how the draft preparation was going. “Oh, I haven’t looked at a single player,” Johnson said. He let it hang there, allowing me to figure out the rest. Then just in case I didn’t get it, he followed with: ”I had to call Wayne and tell him go ahead and give the job to Coughlin, I can’t get out of my deal.”
Translation: Jimmy had told Wayne Weaver, new owner of the expansion Jacksonville Jaguars, to hire Tom Coughlin because Johnson had not figured out how to escape his contract in Dallas.
The Clause that Started it All
But the trigger for all of this was left undiscussed on Netflix. Near the end of the ‘93 season, just weeks before Dallas would repeat as Super Bowl champs, Jones had offered Johnson a new contract, increasing his $1 million per year salary but eliminating the controversial clause that said Johnson had control over players, coaches, trainers and the football operation. The clause gets mentioned earlier in the documentary regarding the Herschel Walker trade, but nothing about its removal is said, and that’s what — more than just his general restlessness in Dallas — motivated Johnson to escape the Cowboys.
I still don’t know what the clause meant exactly. I have mentioned my unusual relationship with the head coach, especially near the end of his time when he felt comfortable telling me almost everything. He wanted to show me the clause in his contract and so he led me into Norv Turner’s office because the offensive coordinator was using it as a template to negotiate his deal with Washington owner Daniel Snyder. I read the clause. If this was 2023, I would have whipped out my phone, taken a picture and sent it to my brother (the Cowlishaw whose youth included time at Stanford Law School, not the one who took night classes at Richland while working at NorthPark Mall). He could have told me what it meant.
It gave Johnson some kind of authority, at least regarding the shaping of the roster, but whether it gave him true control over all trades, I’m not so certain. Doesn’t matter. The important thing is that Jimmy was incensed that, after winning Super Bowls, in order to get more money he was being forced to sacrifice some level of control to Jones, and he wanted no part of it.
Conclusion
And so he left, with a check from Jerry for $2 million in his pocket, also weirdly not mentioned in the documentary. My guess is the owner didn’t want either of those significant aspects of the story dealing with his money revisited here. Did I mention this was, as the subtitle “The Gambler and His Cowboys” indicates, the Jerry Jones version of the truth above all others?
The Jimmy-Jerry soap opera may be old news, but it’s still fascinating to look back on. The feud between the two men is a reminder that even in the world of sports, egos and personalities can clash in unexpected ways.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What was the main reason for the feud between Jimmy Johnson and Jerry Jones?
A: The main reason for the feud was the removal of a clause in Johnson’s contract that gave him control over the football operation. Jones offered Johnson a new contract with a higher salary, but without the clause, which led to Johnson feeling undervalued and unappreciated.
Q: What was the significance of the clause in Johnson’s contract?
A: The clause gave Johnson some level of authority over the shaping of the roster, but its exact meaning is unclear. Johnson felt that the removal of the clause was a sign that Jones was trying to take control of the team away from him.
Q: How did the feud affect the Cowboys?
A: The feud led to Johnson’s departure from the team, which had a significant impact on the Cowboys. The team has not been able to replicate the success they had during Johnson’s tenure, and the feud is often cited as a reason for their decline.
Q: Is the Netflix documentary “America’s Team” a accurate portrayal of the feud?
A: The documentary is largely based on Jerry Jones’ version of events, and some aspects of the feud are not fully explored. However, it does provide a unique insight into the personalities and events that led to the feud.
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