Sports

Nearly eight hours deep into the recent Netflix series on Jerry Jones and his Dallas Cowboys, the end began to creep. Not so much the end of the eight-episode project, but the end of Jerry Jones himself.

“I can’t help but be thankful for the time that I’ve owned the Dallas Cowboys,” Jones said in the final minutes of the series "America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys." 

“It is impossible for me to think about doing something different. And I’ll probably continue right on out until the end.”

His voice is raspy, betraying his 82 years. Sitting at an illuminated desk, the lines on his face are deep. Perhaps intended, it cuts an image of a man nearing the second bookend of his life — a reality that may have been an underlying motivation for the series in the first place.

The scene then rolls into Jones sitting in his Frisco, Texas office, with his eldest son and co-owner, Stephen, across from him. The two discuss their philosophies on head coaches, with each prizing different strengths. At one point, Stephen pushes back and disagrees, and the frame cuts to Jerry smiling.

It’s an exchange seemingly meant to set up what comes next: A direct question to Stephen Jones about a Cowboys succession plan.

Asked for specifics, Stephen gets emotional, pausing at one point before answering with a slight quiver in his voice.

“My answer is that I want to enjoy every moment that my dad’s … ”

His voice trails off.

“I want to enjoy every moment. The rest will take care of itself.”

Gilbert Flores via Getty Images

In the expanse of the Netflix series, it’s another reminder of the life trajectory that Jerry Jones has pointed to more often in recent years. Something along the lines of not having many Cowboys campaigns left in him, and feeling a sense of urgency to capture one more Super Bowl win before the clock runs out.

It’s also a stark reminder that when you look at the wide angle of the NFL over the next decade, change is likely coming to at least two of three very powerful seats at the league’s table of dealmakers, consensus builders and direction-setters. Specifically, the Jerry-led Cowboys and the Robert Kraft-led New England Patriots. And then there's the next NFL commissioner after the retirement of Roger Goodell.

“I don’t think we’ll see some influential owners still [running] franchises in 10 years,” said one executive in the NFL Players Association. “Jerry and Kraft — and there’s Roger. The next [Cowboys and Patriots] owners and then whoever replaces Roger could have a big impact on where the league goes.”

With that in mind, we looked at the succession positions of all three, who were collectively part of Yahoo Sports' 25 NFL Game Changers to watch in 2025. Let's start with ...

The Jones family and the Cowboys

Jerry Jones’ impact on the league during his tenure as Cowboys owner can’t be understated. His accomplishments include: his early ambitions in challenging league norms on marketing revenue; a dogged pursuit of groundbreaking broadcasting deals; pace-setting expansions of the Cowboys’ facility and stadium infrastructures; and a general disposition of always aiming to make his team and the league into the biggest show on the planet.

There have (and will continue to be) volumes written about Jerry's fingerprints on the NFL. And that’s without recognizing that his 1990s-era Cowboys deserve to be credited for helping cement Dallas among a small group of cornerstone dynasties in the NFL’s Super Bowl era.

He’s in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Cowboys are the most valuable sports franchise on Earth for a reason. It’s the kind of legacy that naturally questions what will happen when the wizard behind it reaches the end of his era. Jerry has long been clear about the Cowboys being a family business that is aimed at staying in the family after he’s gone. That means it would be destined to transfer into the hands of his wife, Eugenia, his two sons, Stephen and Jerry Jr., and his daughter Charlotte.

[Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season]

How that power dynamic will work on a league level is more a matter of informed speculation, given that anytime the question about a succession plan is put forth, one of two things usually happens with the two biggest principals involved:

• Jerry reiterates that he purchased the Cowboys for himself and the family — but that he also plans on being the lead owner, president and general manager as long as he can. Possibly until his death.

• Stephen Jones sidesteps the succession question by reiterating that he’s concerned only with spending as much time with his father as possible.

This has been the dance as long as the succession question has existed.

As Stephen Jones quipped to the team’s flagship radio station about a succession plan in 2024, “No one’s getting out of here alive, last time I checked. At some point that may be the case, but we’ll worry about those things when they happen.”

In other words, until Jerry says otherwise, his seat won’t be open until he — or death — makes the decision.

Even with that assertion on repeat, Jerry hasn’t dodged the topic of his own health and mortality, even surprisingly disclosing earlier this month that he had a lengthy battle with cancer following a stage 4 melanoma diagnosis in 2010. That revelation — along with the Netflix series feeling like late-in-life and legacy-securing scaffolding — drew the topic of a Dallas succession plan only closer to the surface, even if the family wasn’t in a hurry to get into details.

But those inside the Cowboys orbit and executives across the league point to Stephen as the eventual controlling owner who will step into Jerry’s shoes. He’s the most versed in the necessary facets of being a general manager, including personnel management, scouting, salary cap health, free-agent negotiations and other areas of expertise. At league meetings, he’s a staple alongside Jerry, including serving a key role inside the NFL’s committee machinery, from business ventures to new stadium developments and the competition group.

Stephen has also served as one of the better angels on Jerry’s shoulder, negotiating his father out of some of his less-than-ideal impulses. In one of the more famous instances, it was helping to dissuade Jerry from selecting quarterback Johnny Manziel in the 2014 NFL Draft, instead nudging his father toward future Hall of Fame guard Zack Martin. That’s just one of several instances where Stephen was a key voice in stocking the Cowboys with key talent over the past decade-plus of drafts.

Of course, what this all means for Stephen stepping into Jerry’s gargantuan role in shaping the NFL’s future remains to be seen. Partially because there is only one Jerry Jones, and partially because Stephen hasn’t had that role at the table yet. But being the steward of the the league’s most valuable franchise — not to mention having a hand in all of Jerry’s other business deals — is going to automatically give the next successor significant traction.

“Stephen is very smart, very comfortable talking to anyone in the room — and engaging,” one high-ranking NFC executive said of Stephen Jones. “He’s absolutely capable of taking over and not missing a beat. But the challenge for anyone in that family, whether it’s Stephen or someone else, [the challenge] is in not trying to be Jerry, because you really can’t. That’s normal. Jim Irsay wasn’t Robert Irsay, the Rooneys have their own differing characteristics. One generation to the next finds their own way to be a presence.”

“League business, league ventures, Jerry has a knack for knowing what’s over that horizon without needing to see it,” the executive continued. “There is something innate about that ability, you can’t just recreate it. So what is the innate quality or qualities that Stephen brings? We’ll find that out.”

The Krafts and the Patriots

Robert Kraft is one of the league’s powerful consensus-building owners alongside Jerry Jones — albeit with more finesse than aggression. The Patriots owner has been a central load-bearing beam in NFL economics for decades. Like Jerry, he played a significant role in pursuing, shaping and advancing various revenue streams. He has chaired the finance and broadcasting committees, played a key role on the league’s management council (which represents the NFL in collective bargaining negotiations) and has been a member of the compensation committee that has paid commissioner Roger Goodell so handsomely during his tenure.

Financially, New England’s on-field success and Kraft’s vision off the field have transformed the Patriots into the fourth most valuable franchise in the league, with Sportico pegging New England’s worth at $8.76 billion. Impressively, Kraft has done a majority of the heavy lifting with his own fortune, privately financing the construction of Gillette Stadium in the early 2000s, then building out the sprawling “Patriot Place” around it with restaurants, retail, entertainment and office space. Initially billed as having a cost of $350 million in 2007, one high-ranking league executive said the sunken cost is likely closer to half a billion dollars. That project and vision has now been repeated by several franchise owners, most prominently and recently with Jones’ multibillion dollar “Star District” surrounding his massive practice/office/headquarters complex in Frisco, Texas, and the Hollywood Park development that Los Angeles Rams owner Stan Kroenke is continuing to build out around SoFi Stadium.

“[Jones and Kroenke] have gotten a lot of credit for creating the ‘everything’ destination where the football facilities or the stadium becomes just a small part of a bigger fan experience, but where do you think that idea came from?” the executive noted. “Robert Kraft did it first — on the top of an old stadium and one little four-lane highway.”

Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

That development success, along with balancing a dynasty while co-existing with Bill Belichick and what Kraft brings to the NFL’s dealmaking rooms has made him a club owner other owners trust and follow. And he has showcased an ability to lock horns with Goodell, Jones and other power brokers when necessary. And like Jones and Goodell, he’s eventually going to leave a void behind in the league. 

When that day comes is debatable, with Kraft turning 84 in June but still carrying himself and professing the spirit of an owner who is decades younger. He still had the succession question put to him directly as recently as the league meetings in April, when he was confronted with the reality that past cornerstone ownership patriarchs like the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Dan Rooney and Buffalo Bills’ Ralph Wilson relinquished their roles in day-to-day operations in their mid-80s.

Speaking to a group of reporters at those Palm Beach meetings, it was a topic that seemed to catch Kraft off-guard.

“First of all, I think I’m 35,” Kraft said, drawing some laughter. 

“As far as succession, succession is there. My eldest son Jonathan has been part of every key decision I’ve made for the last 30-odd years and is a full partner in everything. He stays out of the limelight. But we have a plan that is in place for all of our businesses.”

“Sometimes with age, you have experience,” Kraft continued. “But let’s see what happens this year. Let’s see what happens over the next two or three years.”

Kraft pointing to his son Jonathan was the confirmation of the succession line that most had already anticipated, with the Patriots expected to become a family legacy franchise following a wildly successful first 30 years of ownership. The two questions now are when will Robert Kraft feel obliged to move on from day-to-day operations and what will Jonathan bring to the table. Both of those answers are somewhat cloaked. A source in the Patriots' organization told Yahoo Sports that after a low point over the past two years — transitioning out of the Belichick era and hitting a wall with Jerod Mayo — they believe Kraft has more wind in his sails since the hiring of Mike Vrabel.

Calling the period “invigorating” for the franchise, the source noted that Vrabel has been a commanding presence who now a focal point, along with head of player personnel Eliot Wolf, for most of the football-related resolutions that Robert Kraft struggled to answer for over the past two years. And if winning follows, there’s a likelihood that Robert Kraft will ride that wave.

[Get more Patriots news: New England team feed]

The question of what Jonathan Kraft will be like as a leader is more difficult to define. Unlike the consistent public-facing role Stephen Jones has played alongside Jerry, Jonathan Kraft’s presence has been more of a behind-the-scenes advisory capacity on the football side for the Patriots. Part of that is natural, with Jonathan's role as president of the Patriots also intermingled with his presidency of The Kraft Group, an umbrella over the family’s multiple business operations. But another part of that is by Robert Kraft’s design, too. For now, he wants Jonathan’s football exposure to be more background than foreground.

That hasn’t stopped Jonathan from being a subject of past frustrations with the team’s performance, with Kraft caught a few times on video appearing to show or voice criticisms. Whatever tension existed was clearly enough to irk Belichick, who parted company with the Patriots after the 2023 season but still felt obliged to snipe at New England’s ownership from his new perch at North Carolina.

Accounting for the positives of coaching in college football, Belichick told the Boston Globe earlier this month that, among other things, “There’s no owner, there’s no owner’s son.”

For now, there’s no defined date of succession between owner and owner’s son, either.

Roger Goodell and the league’s next NFL commissioner ... or not

The Roger Goodell succession plan is a debate.

One longtime AFC executive who has played key roles in league business summed it up like this:

“Why would Roger want to retire?” the executive asked. “With [rumored Goodell successor Brian] Rolapp leaving [the league office] for the PGA, what signs are there that he wants to retire? And if he doesn’t want to retire, what owners want him out that can actually make it happen?”

“He’s getting paid a ton of money. He’s young for his 60s and he’s already survived the salary acrimony with the owners — basically Jerry Jones. And that whole thing, Jerry is going to push whoever is in that seat regardless. That was more about Roger’s salary than Roger the commissioner.”

The takeaway from this executive? There is no longer a Roger Goodell succession plan.

That’s certainly a shift from a little over two years ago, when some believed the extension Goodell signed in October of 2023 would ultimately send him into the sunset of his career as NFL commissioner by the spring of 2027. Of course, the salary parameters of that contract extension were also opposed only by Jones, who also opposed the salary parameters in Goodell’s 2017 extension, too. But tides have clearly shifted into Goodell’s favor with the NFL bouncing back from the pandemic revenue dip and broadly expanding financial gains in the past few years through an embrace of gambling, ballooning media rights deals and global brand expansion that is continuing to gain steam. And perhaps there's a thaw between Goodell and Jones, as the commish appeared in Jones' Netflix series praising the owner. 

If you put it on a bumper sticker, it would be: “The money is flowing. Why change anything?”

Perry Knotts via Getty Images

There’s also some pending business that suggests a path of commissioner continuity for at least the next several years, including the negotiation of the next collective bargaining agreement, the negotiation of an 18th game in the regular-season schedule (which may be rolled into the CBA negotiation), and the potential opt-out of the league’s domestic broadcast rights deals after the 2028 season. So long as the league isn’t beset by some staggering controversy that it fails to see coming — and so long as the financial bottom line keeps swelling — Goodell may be obliged to keep extending his stay as long as he likes.

Some in the league believe a bellwether has already forecast a longer stay, with Rolapp, a longtime exectuive, departing the NFL in June to become the CEO of the PGA Tour. Prior to that move, the 53-year old Rolapp was an executive vice president and chief media and business officer — and also the popular favorite in many league corners to replace Goodell, given his deep relationships in the media rights and sponsorship realms.

When Rolapp departed, it signaled to some that another Goodell extension in 2026 was more likely than any succession. And that feeling deepened as other influential league executives began to surmise that Rolapp wouldn’t be replaced, with his responsibilities spread over several other positions.

“I don’t think anybody replaces him,” one high-powered NFC executive said. “Nor do I think he needs to be replaced. Brian did an amazing job, but the groundwork he laid can be done by [other league office executives]. … The biggest challenge will be Brian had all the relationships at the top [with broadcasting and sponsorship partners] aside from Roger, and I don’t know how they replace that relationship aspect.”

“The deal-making they have. The relationships they need to figure out.”

That’s the kind of reality that only strengthens the need for Goodell to remain in place — unless there’s a long play where Rolapp returns to the NFL after a few years leading the PGA. But there’s little belief that’s the succession plan.

“I think it’s sunk in that Brian left because he knew he’d hit his ceiling here,” another league executive said. “If he wasn’t the one ascending [to commissioner], nobody else is. [Succession] isn’t realistic without candidates that keep the league’s business moving without a hitch. Roger is the only one who accomplishes that right now, and I think that’ll be the status quo until the next [CBA and media rights] deals are finished off.”