Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones trusts in his process of hiring coaches, saying on Tuesday there is no correlation between salary and winning games.
The Cowboys, the most valuable franchise in the NFL, are 3-5 this season under second-year head coach Brian Schottenheimer. The 53-year-old is estimated to earn between $5 million and $8 million annually, per The Athletic, as coaching salaries aren’t made public. The article said the league’s highest-paid coaches average $20 million per season, with 10 coaches earning at least $14 million.
“In the NFL, this is after years of looking at all the teams and all the coaches,” Jones said on Dallas radio station 105.3 The Fan, “there is zero correlation between how much you pay a coach or how many coaches you have (on staff) as to winning. 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.”
The Athletic reported that the coaches for six of the last 10 Super Bowl champions were among the highest paid (Bill Belichick, Andy Reid, Sean McVay). The Philadelphia Eagles’ Nick Sirianni, whose team won in 2024, is now among the top-10 best compensated, per The Athletic.
Schottenheimer went 7-9-1 in his first season as a head coach in 2025. He has a .420 winning percentage (10-14-1).
The Cowboys promoted Schottenheimer from offensive coordinator after two seasons in Dallas. He also has been an OC with the New York Jets (2006-11), St. Louis Rams (2012-14) and Seattle Seahawks (2018-20).
The Cowboys last made the playoffs in the 2023 season, losing to the visiting Green Bay Packers 48-32 in an NFC wild-card game.
They have advanced to the playoffs in 13 of 30 seasons (1996-2025) since winning three Super Bowl championships in a four-year span (1992-95).
“You can be pretty creative in hiring your coaches,” Jones said. “I’ve had some good experiences of hiring people who have never been in the NFL. I’ve had some experience of hiring young coaches, older coaches. And you constantly remind me, as you should, of what my record is. And I understand that. But also know that the next time you throw the pick, if you’re the old California gold miner, you may hit the Comstock Lode.”
The Cowboys are the NFL’s most valuable franchise with a $15.5 billion valuation, according to Sportico’s 2026 ranking. The value increased 21% from 2025, according to Sportico.
Forbes valued the franchise at $17 billion, an increase of 31% from 2025, on its annual list published in September, putting Dallas at the top for a 20th straight year. The team generated nearly $1.28 billion in revenue in 2025, Forbes estimated, with an estimated $677 million in operating income last season.
Forbes reported that the average NFL team value is $9.5 billion, up 34% from 2025.