The Dallas Cowboys have not returned to the NFC Championship Game or hoisted a Lombardi Trophy since winning Super Bowl XXX over the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1996. Not only is the team in the midst of a brutal championship drought, but they have never been real contenders in that time frame.

This season, there was some hope that the Cowboys could begin trending in the right direction, but that hasn't been the case as they enter Week 9 with three losses in four weeks.

Dallas' struggles have reignited the conversation about whether Jerry Jones is capable of leading a championship-winning team as general manager, and at least one NFL legend believes it's over for The Gambler and America's Team.

Pro Football Hall of Famer Cris Carter and the Inside Football crew were discussing whether Jones is to blame for holding the team back, and not only did the crew believe that he is completely out of touch, but Carter also believes that Jones will never taste Super Bowl glory again.

Jerry Jones, Cowboys Doomed For The Future?

Cris Carter doesn't believe Jerry Jones will ever hoist another Lombardi Trophy.

The Inside Football crew discusses why Jerry's approach to running the Cowboys may be holding the franchise back. pic.twitter.com/JKsmRyStWq

— Inside Football (@InsideFBShow) November 5, 2026

"Jerry, and I hope he lives a long time, but he will not hoist that Lombardi trophy again. He will not. He does not have a business plan that's effective in this current NFL," Carter said. "He is lost.

Former Arizona Cardinals executive Steve Keim was asked whether Jones was capable of changing his ways, and delivered a damning statement: "I say no, number one, to answer your question. And two, like, listen, at his age, Dallas Cowboys are keeping him alive, are keeping him getting out of bed in the morning.

"So he writes the checks. He owns a team. That's his prerogative. But he's got to take the sh*t that comes with it.

It's a brutal assessment that Cowboys fans won't want to hear, but it seems closer to reality than the team actually winning. The lack of improvement that the team has shown in recent years and Jones' inability to target a top-tier head coach in the midst of their rebuild only highlights how far away the team really is.

Cowboys fans are used to entering a season with high hopes or expectations before being let down, but there's something about the 2026 version of this letdown that stings more than any in recent memory.

And with the trade deadline approaching in a matter of days, we'll have to see whether the team makes an effort to get any closer.

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