Aug 9, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams owner Stan Kroenke (left) talks with Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones during the game at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones Gives Rams Wild Complement

Originally posted on Los Angeles Rams on SI
By Brock Vierra | Last updated Aug 20, 2025 6:00 AM ET

In the offseason of 2021, after a random run-in on vacation, Sean McVay put into motion one of the most defining moves of the decade: The trade for Matthew Stafford. McVay and general manager Les Snead orchestrated the departure of Jared Goff, an NFC-winning quarterback who was a throw away from winning the Super Bowl for a beloved gunslinger who had yet to win a single playoff game or division title.

The move paid off immediately. Stafford achieved instant success, winning the NFC West and then Super Bowl LVI that season while throwing Cooper Kupp to the triple crown, 2021 NFL Offensive Player of the Year, and Super Bowl LVI MVP.

The trade remains one of the most debated and successful transactions in NFL history.

That trade was brought up once again by Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. Jones, with his son Stephen, were captured on camera speaking to Rams President Kevin Demoff, a facilitator of the transaction, during the Rams and Cowboys joint practice from Oxnard, California. Jones went on to say that the Rams' move for Stafford was not something he'd be confident doing himself.

“I don’t have the balls to put it all out there the way y’all did on that quarterback," stated Jones. "I won’t do that.”

To be fair to Jones, he had no shot of acquiring Stafford. While Stafford roots are in Texas, the main reason the move was made is due to the Lions' front office. That offseason, the Lions hired former Rams executive Brad Holmes to be their general manager. It was Holmes' relationship with the Rams and Jared Goff that helped seal the deal.

Jones also hasn't been forced to make a quarterback decision in nearly two decades. Tony Romo steered the ship for years, and Dak Prescott only got a shot at the starting job once Romo got hurt. Romo's injury would result in the end of his NFL playing career.

However, those comments also show that the current Jones is far removed from the version he was in the 80s that built the Cowboys dynasty of the 90s. Jones, the notorious wheeler-dealer, has made some interesting moves in recent years as he's currently embroiled in a contract dispute with star defender Micah Parsons.

Meanwhile, Stafford is set to start his fifth season in Los Angeles.

This article first appeared on Los Angeles Rams on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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