IRVING, Texas -- Vice president Stephen Jones has more authority and influence than he's ever had with the Dallas Cowboys. The same is true for coach Jason Garrett.
But we've found out in the last couple of weeks that the old man can still flex his muscles. It's all of our fault, really. We heaped so much praise on Stephen Jones for the way the club handled the DeMarco Murray negotiations that Jerry Jones felt compelled to show us that he was still the man carrying the biggest stick. He even joked about it with folks at the owners meetings last week, but you know what they say about many truths being told in jest.
When you think about how the meticulous way the Cowboys have moved throughout the offseason, adding defensive end Greg Hardy and re-signing Rolando McClain were moves that screamed Jerry wanted in on the offseason action. You can tell because Jerry's moves seemingly always have a certain impulsive nature to them.
Jerry has always loved collecting stars, from Troy Aikman to Deion Sanders. And he's usually kept a roster full of them since buying the team in 1989. So when the Cowboys wound up bidding against themselves with Hardy -- Tampa Bay had dropped out of the running -- it was pretty obvious Jerry was driving the negotiations.
Hardy ended up with a deal that could pay him as much as $11.3 million this season, although the Cowboys managed to protect themselves by making much of the money he gets contingent on weekly roster bonuses.
The McClain deal had Jerry's scent on it too. The questions revolving around McClain never focus on talent. If you saw him play in 2014, it's easy to see why he was the eighth player taken in the 2010 draft.
When the 6-foot-4, 255-pound linebacker hits dudes, they don't fall forward. But he's a high-maintenance player who regularly drove folks around Valley Ranch crazy with his disdain for practice and his nagging injuries.
There are also questions about how much he loves the game and whether he will prepare his body to survive the rigors of a 16-game season. So the Cowboys weren't inclined to offer him much more than the NFL minimum of $745,000 until he visited New England on Monday and Jerry panicked. It was McClain's only visit during the first three weeks of free agency.
Jerry could be patient as long as McClain, who is one failed drug test from a four-game suspension, didn't have any other offers. All Jerry could think about was the triumvirate of playmakers he could have on the field at the same time in Hardy, McClain and Sean Lee.
Suddenly, McClain's deal swelled to be worth as much as $4 million if he hits certain playing time incentives and roster bonuses.
The moves meant the Cowboys needed to restructure Tony Romo's contract to save $12.8 million and ensure they get could get both of those contracts under the NFL-mandated $143.2 million salary cap. It's something Stephen Jones spent all offseason saying the club didn't want to do because it creates a much bigger cap figure for Romo in future years when their 35-year-old quarterback might not be on the team.
Jerry, of course, doesn't care. He just wants to win.
The offseason additions, including the draft picks they'll add, should allow the Cowboys to post consecutive seasons with at least 10 wins for the first time since 1995 and 1996 as long as they stay relatively healthy.
Jerry has not been shy about telling folks that he understands the Cowboys need to win now because no guarantees exist after Romo's career ends.
Maybe Dallas will be like Green Bay and Indianapolis and immediately find Romo's successor the way Aaron Rodgers seamlessly followed Brett Favre with the Packers and Andrew Luck took over for Peyton Manning with the Colts.
Or the Cowboys could wander aimlessly in the desert for decades like the Chicago Bears and the Miami Dolphins have done in a never-ending quest for stellar quarterback play. When Aikman was waived after the 2000 season, the Cowboys needed six seasons to find Romo.
Jerry is heeding the advice of Stephen and Garrett more than ever, but he still likes to show us every now and then that he's still capable of running the show.