What Jerry Jones said to conclude NFL league meetings that has Dallas Cowboys fans enraged

No one sells hope like Jerry Jones.

And it’s a mindset that has served him well throughout his career, which started in the oil and gas business before buying a Dallas Cowboys team that was losing million dollars per month and turning it into the richest franchise in all of sports.

Now, following the most heartbreaking playoff loss in recent memory and in the midst of an offseason in which the Cowboys have spent the least amount of money in the NFL to improve the team and admittedly have to try to win with less, Jones is back at his marketing best.

“I feel as good as any time I’ve gone into an offseason as I can remember,” Jones said confidently before departing the NFL Owner’s Meetings in Orlando.

It was a curious statement that had Cowboys fans almost apoplectic on social media, considering the team has signed only one outside free agent (linebacker Eric Kendricks) and have lost at least four starters in free agency and a number of other primary contributors due to salary cap constraints.

The Cowboys are now facing a 2024 season with coach Mike McCarthy in the last year of his contract, needing to get the team to the NFC title game or the Super Bowl for the first time in 28 seasons to continue as head coach.

They are also tasked with the goal of signing All-Pro receiver CeeDee Lamb and linebacker Micah Parsons to contract extensions that will be among the highest in the league while facing an uncertain future with quarterback Dak Prescott who has a $59.4 million salary cap hit in the final year of his contract and unrestricted free agency on the horizon if the Cowboys can’t get an extension done.

“Without being theatrical, I’m gonna drop to a knee and say thanks for the problem,” Jones said. “It’s outstanding problem. You work to get problems like that.”

Jones said he is not surprised by the Cowboys current situation. He said he knew they were going to have to “pay the fiddler” because of how they handled some deals over the past three seasons when they won 12 games in each with some of the best rosters in the NFL.

“I knew that it was going to be challenging, it always is,” Jones said. “Because we have in place players that will be paid in future years, we have a good handle on that. Most clubs, we included, have a lot of money that we’ve already paid the players, but you have to count under the cap in future years. It shouldn’t come as a surprise, you have to have it well-thought out. The timing of them as well as the amount of them are all a part of a strategy that we were thinking about two years ago.

“In fact, it involves a player that was here two years ago. There’s no surprises here because it’s competitive.”

While Jones is realistic about the team’s cap situation, he remains optimistic about the chances of winning in 2024 because of the young players the Cowboys are counting on to step up in place of the departed and more expensive veterans.

Linebacker DeMarvion Overshown, defensive tackle Mazi Smith, receiver Jalen Tolbert, defensive end Sam Williams are at the top of the list.

“It’s buoyed by the team we got, buoyed by the fact we have young players that have to step up,” Jones said. “They will step up. Some won’t as much as we wanted, some will do more. All of that, I feel good about. I feel as good as any time I’ve gone into an offseason as I can remember.”

“We very well will have players that didn’t play much in the last year that will step up that are under contract. By virtue of the moves we’re making right now, it doesn’t create a negative in my mind. Just because you don’t have a player, doesn’t mean you’re not going to win the games.”

At least not in Jones’ mind.

Are Cowboys fans still buying what he is selling?