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Jerry Jones bought the Dallas Cowboys in 1989 and has run the franchise as owner, president, and general manager ever since. Jones has acknowledged in a recent conversation that he has no formal succession plan in place. However, his son Stephen Jones is not waiting in the wings either. Stephen, Jerry Jones’s eldest son, has spent 37 years working alongside his father and has been gradually taking on more responsibility for years. The elder Jones calls him his “devil’s advocate” and “barometer,” and said he credits Stephen with reining in some of his more aggressive impulses over time. Stephen Jones now controls a wide range of football and business operations and is seen as the natural successor to one of the most powerful jobs in American sport. Stephen Jones Will Be ‘More Tightfisted’ Than Father Jerry Jones Stephen Jones joined the Cowboys operation shortly after his father purchased the franchise from Bum Bright for $140 million, leaving behind a career in the oil and gas industry to do so. He now holds the titles of chief operating officer, co-owner, executive vice president of player personnel and president of AT&T Stadium. His responsibilities span scouting, personnel management, salary cap oversight and major contract negotiations, and he has taken on a larger role in the draft room in recent years. The decision that often comes up when assessing Stephen’s football judgment was at the 2014 NFL Draft. Jerry Jones was intent on selecting Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel but Stephen pushed back and steered the pick toward offensive lineman Zack Martin. Jerry reportedly apologized to his son after the card was turned in and was uncomfortable with the call for months. Manziel played two seasons in the league. Martin became a nine-time All-Pro and is widely expected to reach the Hall of Fame. The episode is referenced regularly inside Cowboys circles as an example of how Stephen’s influence operates. Jerry spoke about their father-son dynamic in his recent interview with The Athletic’s Zak Keefer. “He’s about as good as anybody I’ve ever been around in giving deference when he should,” Jerry said of Stephen. “Now, don’t confuse that with lack of intensity. He’ll bite back real hard when he has to. Real hard. He just does it with more grace than I do.” Quite like Jerry Jones, Stephen clearly calls it like he sees it, and he was pretty straightforward in the same interview. In his opinion, he can be more ‘tightfisted’ when it comes to financial transactions that his father. “Dad’s a dealmaker. Everything he’s ever had his hands on he’s overpaid for,” he said. “I can be a little bit more tightfisted.” “Dad’s a dealmaker. Everything he’s ever had his hands on he’s overpaid for … I can be a little bit more tightfisted.” Stephen Jones opens up on America’s Team and its future:https://t.co/9zp6ZtPutA — Zak Keefer (@zkeefer) August 28, 2026 All three of Jerry’s children hold equal ownership shares in the Cowboys. Jerry Jones Jr. serves as chief sales and marketing officer, Charlotte Jones Anderson as chief brand officer. Stephen’s son, John Stephen Jones, already works inside the organization as manager of corporate partnerships. Jerry Jones Dubs Son Stephen ‘Leader’ Among His Three Children Jerry also addressed the question of Stephen’s standing among the three Jones siblings, all of whom hold equal ownership shares, in the same interview. “I don’t have a succession plan, I don’t,” he said. “One day I just won’t be here to toss my two cents in.” On Stephen specifically, he added: “They’ve been making decisions for the past 20, 30 years, and no doubt Stephen has been the leader of that group. For better or worse, we’ve been here as a team.” The Cowboys finished 7-9-1 in 2025 and missed the playoffs last year, extending a run without a conference championship appearance that dates to 1995. Stephen already has a hand in the roster work intended to address that. He helped direct an aggressive trade-up on night one of the 2026 draft to select safety Caleb Downs, and has spoken publicly about prioritizing long-term cap health and defensive rebuilding under second-year head coach Brian Schottenheimer. A third generation of the Jones family is in place. The question of control is predictably settled in terms of family continuity.