‘Put That In Your Hopper And Smoke It’: Jerry Jones Says Coaching Pay Has ‘Zero Correlation’ To Winning For Dallas Cowboys
FRISCO, Texas — Two days after the Dallas Cowboys’ 33-30 overtime loss to the Arizona Cardinals, owner and general manager Jerry Jones said Tuesday there is “zero correlation” between what an NFL team pays its coaches and how much it wins. Jones made the comments during his weekly appearance on 105.3 The Fan, The Athletic’s Jon Machota reported.
Dallas is 3-5 and 10-14-1 under Brian Schottenheimer, who is in his second season. Jones has long faced criticism for how much he pays coaches, and he did not back away from it.
“There is zero correlation [in the NFL] between how much you pay a coach or how many coaches you have as to winning,” Jones said, via Machota. “There is no correlation. And that’s a random sample of years and all 32 teams involved. So put that in your hopper and smoke it.”
Jane Slater Says Agent Told Her ‘Jerry Won’t Pay 13M And Up’
NFL Network’s Jane Slater posted on X about an hour after Jones’ radio appearance Tuesday morning. Her post described a call she made to the agent of a veteran head coach about the hiring cycle that ended with Schottenheimer.
“I called the agent of a veteran coach to see if Jerry Jones had even picked up the phone and poked around on him during the Schottenheimer hiring cycle and he laughed and said ‘Jerry won’t pay 13M and up and that’s the starting point,’” Slater wrote. “It’s well known and well documented just surprised he actually finally said it on record today.”
Slater had reported on the same issue in January 2025, while Dallas searched for a replacement for Mike McCarthy. At the time, she tied McCarthy’s exit to the size and cost of his staff.
“Mike McCarthy was asked to reduce his staff, and Jerry is not really high on paying his coaches,” Slater said then.
McCarthy left after the 2024 season without a new contract, sat out 2025, and became the Pittsburgh Steelers’ head coach on Jan. 24, 2026. Dallas had promoted Schottenheimer from offensive coordinator to head coach in January 2025.
Jerry Jones Rules Out In-Season Coaching Change
Jones had already addressed Schottenheimer’s status after Sunday’s game. He pointed to the one time he fired a coach in the middle of a season, Wade Phillips in 2010, and said he doesn’t see that happening now.
“I’m not proud of it, but I made a change with Wade Phillips there in the middle of the season. I don’t see that here at all,” Jones said, via Machota.
Cowboys COO and executive vice president Stephen Jones said Monday on 105.3 The Fan’s “K&C Masterpiece” that the team won’t fire someone just to send a message. Changes come when they make the team better, he said.
“If it’s something that’s there that you need to make a change because it’ll make us better in the long haul, then you certainly have to take a look at that,” Stephen Jones said. “But not necessarily. … But I’m into making changes when it makes you better.”
Dallas visits the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, Nov. 8, at Lucas Oil Stadium. Kickoff is set for noon CT on FOX.
